Those Left Behind
by stephfarrow94
Summary: If there was one thing Tsunayoshi Sawada had learnt on his first day of working at Namimori Psychiatric Hospital, it was that you couldn't help everybody. Working with the patients they had here proved that.
1. Chapter 1

**There will be various pairings in this fic, some you'd expect and some you wouldn't. I won't introduce all the characters into the one chapter as that would be super long, and some characters' conditions and backgrounds won't be made clear at first until a bit further into the fic. There will be hints for those characters so you're not completely in the dark. **

If there was one thing Tsunayoshi Sawada had learnt on his first day of working at Namimori Psychiatric Hospital, it was that you couldn't help everybody. Working with the patients they had here proved that.

"Yo, Tsuna."

The brown-haired young man spun around in his chair, surrounded by bookshelves and files scattered all over his desk. Light filtered in through the window across from him, overlooking the gardens. He heard one of his co-workers and friend call for him, and placing the file he was holding back down on his desk, he stood up and stretched.

The male in question standing in Tsuna's doorway was Takeshi Yamamoto, a dark-haired, baseball-loving psychologist who worked previously in only the Vongola Wing, but having had another psychologist resign, was now also treating patients situated in the Varia Wing. He had a very positive outlook on life, and he seemed to get along with everyone he met. Well, almost everyone.

"What's up, Yamamoto?" Tsuna, by nature, was a kind person, and treated everyone in the psychiatric hospital with respect.

Yamamoto held out a vanilla folder, his usual laid-back smile on his face. His eyes sparkled with joy as Tsuna took it, explaining. "Gokudera said he was going on his lunchbreak. He asked me to give that to you; it's updated information on everyone's medication."

Tsuna, who was in charge of all the patients in each Wing, as well as overseeing the staff, took the folder, making note to look at it when he was finished writing a report to send off to his own bosses.

"Thank you, Yamamoto." Tsuna tucked the folder beneath his arm. "How did your session with Mukuro go?"

"Same as always. No progress." There was a hint of sadness in the young man's voice, but when it came to Yamamoto, one could never be too sure if he was upset or not.

Tsuna sighed. Mukuro Rokudo was a patient in the Vongola Wing with a serious delusional disorder. He had killed most of his family as a child due to it, but trying to help him was like trying to slam a revolving door; it just couldn't be done.

However, Mukuro was nothing compared to some of the other patients in the hospital.

"Have you seen Shoichi-kun?" Tsuna looked past the younger male, looking around for the one he had referred to. "He asked me to go over some things with him."

"I haven't." Yamamoto shook his head before he lifted his hand, smiling as he waved goodbye. "I've got another session. See you, Tsuna."

"Bye." Tsuna waited for his friend to disappear down the hallway before he himself took the opposite direction, deciding that lunch did indeed sound good.

While it was midday, most of the patients were out of their rooms and roaming around freely. Tsuna politely greeted the ones he passed, stopping to make sure they were okay and didn't need any help.

However, before the brunet could finish with one patient, he was called once again, this time by the security guard, Ryohei Sasagawa, a grey-haired boxing enthusiast whom Tsuna had known for over ten years.

"Sawada, I've been looking for you to the extreme." The grey-haired male said. "There's a new patient, and Hibari told me to extremely bring you to him."

Tsuna nodded before he turned back to the patient he had been talking to, a man with a green part of hair, a red Mohawk, and who was never seen without sunglasses. He had a serious case of both bi-polar and anxiety, but on a good day, he was very pleasant to talk to.

"I'll talk to you soon, Lussuria-san." Tsuna smiled as he patted the older male on the shoulder before he followed Ryohei down to their boss' office; though Tsuna had a very high title, he still took orders himself, from an older male named Kyouya Hibari who didn't have the patience to deal directly with either the staff or the patients and left that to Tsuna.

"Do you know anything about the new patient?" Tsuna questioned his friend.

Ryohei shook his head. "Saw him before I left. Extremely little kid."

Tsuna wondered what could be the problem with said 'kid', and how they could help him; he only wanted to give the best care he could, so he'd have to make a good first impression.

The two talked amongst themselves until they stood out the front of Hibari's office. Tsuna gulped, having always been afraid of his boss since Middle School, and then knocked. He opened the door slowly, hesitating before he stepped into the well-lit room.

"About time, herbivore." The black-haired man sitting at a desk just stared at Tsuna, making no effort to communicate further; he instead slid a folder across the desk and left it at that, focusing on his reports.

Tsuna listened to the sound of Ryohei leaving before he looked at the boy sitting on the other side of the desk. He really _was _little, as Ryohei had said. He had teal hair, his eyes the same colour. There were bruises and cuts on his face, and whether or not they ventured further down the boy's body, Tsuna wasn't sure; the new patient was wearing a green jacket with matching pants, a red shirt beneath it – they hid any other possible bruises from Tsuna's soft eyes.

"Hello." Tsuna could see the fear hidden behind layers of blank expression, and he wondered what this one's story would be. "My name is Tsunayoshi. What's yours?"

"...Fran..." Though the boy seemed emotionless on the outside, Tsuna was experienced enough to note the fear that seemed to course through the boy's entire being.

"How old are you, Fran?"

The boy – Fran – ignored this question, turning to look out o the window that oversaw the corridor. He blinked a few times before his eyes glazed over, as if was so focused on internal stimuli, he took no notice of anything around him.

Tsuna didn't press for answers; he instead reached out for the folder Hibari had slid across the desk. He opened it, looking at the information presented before him. It contained Fran's personal details – which answered Tsuna's question about the smaller male's age; Fran had only recently turned seventeen – as well as background information. Looking over that sheet of paper made Tsuna understand why Fran displayed a lack of emotions and hid what he truly felt.

"Fran?" Tsuna leant down so that he was eye-level with the younger male. He waited patiently until the dazed expression had cleared and he had Fran's attention. "Fran, would you like to come with me and start settling in?"

Fran shrugged before he stood up and followed the brunet out of the office. Tsuna noticed there was a limp in the boy's gait, and that he flinched whenever someone would get too close to him. It broke Tsuna's heart, but he didn't draw attention to it – he was sure Fran already had enough problems as it was.

"I noticed that Hibari-san had already put you in a designated Wing," Tsuna said, trying to start a conversation; Fran's silence was upsetting. "The Varia Wing."

To be completely honest, Tsuna wasn't sure of why Hibari had placed the boy into said Wing; sure, it seemed as if Fran needed a lot of help, but the Varia Wing was usually only for patients who were dangerous or uncontrollable – sure, the boy's background had sounded atrocious, but Fran didn't look as if he could hurt a _fly_.

_Then again, looks can be deceiving – you know this, Tsuna_. Tsuna shook his head, trying not to think too much on it; he needed to retain his own sanity if he were to help the patients.

Fran remained silent as he stared at everything around him with the same blank expression. It was as if he was curious or perhaps wary about his surroundings, but was trying his hardest to hide it.

The corridors the two travelled down were blazingly white, and Tsuna worried Fran may get lost in the constant twists and turns if he didn't stop zoning out on their journey.

When at last, ten minutes later, Tsuna stopped outside of a room, Fran having been so zoned out, he hadn't noticed the lack of movement and walked straight into his guide.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna reached out, steadying Fran on his feet. The boy just pulled away from Tsuna's touch, looking anywhere but at the older male. Knowing better than to take this to heart, Tsuna said, "This will be your room from now on."

Fran watched from the corner of his eye as Tsuna withdrew a bundle of keys, unlocking the door for the boy to go into. He was hesitant, but with a bit of encouragement from Tsuna, he walked into the room.

It was almost empty, just a bed tucked away in the corner of the room. The window that overlooked the grounds had bars over it, preventing him from leaving his room, and the walls where so white, it was blinding.

"Most days, you're free to leave your room as you wish," Tsuna explained. "At eight-forty-five PM, we'll start moving everyone back into their rooms. Nine o-clock is curfew. There's no lights-out rule here, but if you're going to stay up, please be quiet so you don't disturb the other patients. Is that fair to you?"

Fran nodded. He was looking at the bed, making a mental note to pull the sheets off it and instead sleep beneath it – he didn't think he'd ever so much as _sit _on it.

"Now that I've shown you to your room, would you like to go meet some of the other patients?"

Fran shrugged. In truth, he wanted to stay in his room and sit in a corner, but he was afraid of what disagreeing would bring him.

Tsuna offered a smile as Fran walked back out into the corridor. He knew that a lot of the new patients were nervous when it came to meeting the older ones; the stigma that was associated to being in a psychiatric hospital was evident even amongst the patients.

"Most of them would be having lunch by now, I imagine." Tsuna led the boy back down the corridor, stopping when Fran did. "What's the matter, Fran?"

Expressionless teal eyes looked at Tsuna as the boy pointed to one of the rooms. "Who's in there?"

Now that Fran had pointed it out, Tsuna noticed the loud, crazed laughing of one of their most deranged patients. There was a reason the door to their bedroom was shut and locked, and Tsuna felt uneasy about explaining to the younger male right now – he had hoped this could wait until Fran had settled in, lest the small boy be potentially frightened of his stay here.

"...That's Belphegor," Tsuna explained. "We don't usually let the other patients in to see him unless someone is supervising the visit. You probably also won't see him around the building much; we have to keep him confined."

Fran nodded. He didn't like the repetitive laughter that sent chills down his spine, and he could only wonder; what was there to laugh about in this life...? Especially in a place like _this_.

"What is he laughing at?" Fran shifted uneasily at his own question. Tsuna was used to people giving this reaction when it came to Belphegor, however it always upset him that no one ever seemed to give him a chance. The confined male was _extremely _unstable, but in Tsuna's eyes, that was no reason to treat him any differently.

"Well, he laughs a lot..." Tsuna frowned. "We still don't really know what he finds funny, but it's something you'll get used to."

Fran nodded. He followed again as Tsuna started walking, and he was eventually led out into a spacious room filled with small round tables and a few couches resting against the walls.

"This is the activity room," Tsuna conveyed. "Usually, it's where everyone plays a few games together, but it also doubles as where meals are eaten."

Fran lowered his head as he realised how many people were in here; there were _far _too many for his liking, and he wanted to go back to his room _now_.

Tsuna, who instinctively picked up on Fran's change of mood, became worried; he leant down to reassure Fran that he was safe, only to see the younger start to hyperventilate.

"Fran, it's alright." Tsuna could see the stress in Fran's eyes as the younger tried to move away from him. He reached out, holding the teal-haired boy where he was, trying to calm him down, but the panicked male didn't seem to be able to hear him. "Fran. You're going to be alright. No one's going to hurt you, Fran. It's okay."

Fran shook his head, making soft whimpering noises amidst his attack. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he turned his head violently to the side, trying to escape the brunet's hand that was steadily approaching his bruised face.

Tsuna covered Fran's mouth with one hand, using the other to block a single nostril with his free one, trying to decrease the amount of oxygen Fran was rapidly inhaling.

"You're safe here, Fran." Tsuna turned to look at the growing crowd approaching them, wanting to tell them to back off and give them some room, but he also didn't want to stress Fran out any further by causing the boy to misconstrue whom he was addressing. "Fran. It's going to be okay."

"You know, he's probably scared out of his wits and all you're doing is talking to him, Tsunayoshi."

The brunet frowned as he turned to look at the individual patient who was approaching them. He had long blue hair tied back in a ponytail, the back of it spiking up and resembling a pineapple.

"Did you think that he probably doesn't respond to words?" The man knelt down and wrapped his arms around Fran, pulling the boy against him. He didn't relent, no matter how much Tsuna scolded him or Fran struggled to be released, instead tightening his hold on the younger male until Fran had stopped hyperventilating and calmed down, laying limp in his arms. "Maybe you should revise your training as a therapist and know that not all cases are helped by _talking_."

Tsuna wasn't sure if the older male was insinuating something about the treatments the blue-haired patient received, but that wasn't important right now – what mattered was that this whole situation could have been worsened by such careless actions.

"You shouldn't touch a person you don't know, Mukuro-san," Tsuna pointed out. "Especially when they're in the middle of hyperventilating; he could have claustrophobia and panicked further."

"But he didn't, did he, Tsunayoshi?" Heterochromatic eyes watched Tsuna curiously as their owner held Fran tighter.

Tsuna didn't want to argue with the man named Mukuro; the long-haired male was right, and currently Fran was resting peacefully against the tall male's chest, a tiny hand gripping tightly the jacket Mukuro wore as he panted, struggling to catch his breath. Tears had stopped running down bruised cheeks, the emotionless mask donned once again.

"Well, all that matters is that he's okay..." Tsuna agreed. Turning back to the horde still watching them, he dispersed everyone, not wanting Fran to feel crowded.

"Tsunayoshi, what were you doing with him?" Mukuro held a playful smile on his face, resting his chin in teal hair.

"I was taking him to meet some of the others." Tsuna turned back around to face the two. "I wasn't aware that he would panic."

"They write records on our backgrounds for a reason. Kufufu~ You know all about mine, for example."

"Yes, yes, Mukuro-san, you are correct." Tsuna didn't want to hold this conversation with Mukuro; the man had an ego too big already, and he really had to get his reports finished. "If you could take care of him, that would be great; he seems to like you already."

"Ah, but Tsunayoshi, aren't you forgetting something important?" Mukuro's smile widened at his words. "You forgot to introduce us."

Tsuna nodded. "Mukuro-san, this is Fran. He's new, so be good to him. Fran, this is Mukuro. Would you mind staying with him while I finish off some work?"

Fran nodded. He was slumped against Mukuro, exhausted from his previous attack. His head rested against Mukuro's shoulder, his stomach and chest still expanding a tad harshly.

"Oh, and if you see him, please tell Shoichi-kun to find me." Tsuna waved to the two before he turned around and left, hoping he could rely on Mukuro to look after Fran; until he could free up some time, he would have to trust that the long-haired male wouldn't hurt the boy – Mukuro had some serious problems, but the good thing about him was that he was generally harmless on a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lightning is like a God. No. Lightning _is _a God. But then, Xanxus is better than lightning, therefore _he _is the God."

Gokudera had long-since grown used to Leviathan's ramblings. This was a man who had become so obsessed with lightning, he had burnt his house down to the ground by damaging electronics just so he could see the sparks. It seemed that, before he came here, lightning was the only thing on his mind – but then, having met a fellow patient named Xanxus, had for some reason placed him on a higher pedestal than lightning.

"Well, I'm going to change your medication, Levi." Gokudera wasn't fond of a lot of the patients. It was a wonder why he had gone into this sort of profession, but Tsuna had a feeling it was because the older male hadn't wanted to part ways through university. "It will still be an SSRI, but a different brand name. I'll start reducing your current medication tonight."

Talking to Leviathan about anything but Xanxus or lightning was useless; the man didn't seem to notice he was being spoken to unless he heard those two words – it was as if there was absolutely no room for anything _but _his obsessions in mind.

Gokudera couldn't do anything further; he had done his job and explained his intended course of action – if Leviathan didn't want to hear him, that was just fine.

"I'll be seeing you." Standing up, Gokudera grabbed his notepad and left the room, closing the door behind him. He sighed and leant back against the wall of the Varia Wing corridor, needing a smoke more than anything right now; he had been smoking since he was a teen, and it was his stress relief.

Muttering under his breath, Gokudera started walking again, biting his tongue to resist the _very _strong urge to poke his head into his most hated patient's bedroom and yell at him to shut the fuck up; out of every patient past and present, he hadn't hated any other more than he did Belphegor. The resentment towards him was so deep, he had originally refused to handle the medication for him, only to reluctantly agree after Tsuna had a talk with him.

"Gokudera, are you busy?"

The silver-haired young man turned around at his friend's voice, finding both the psychologist and psychiatrist of the Millefiore Wing approaching him. He shrugged, not particularly close to either of these males.

"What did you need?" Gokudera asked, closing the distance between him and the other two; the darker haired male was Shoichi Irie, the one who worked closely with the Millefiore patients. His companion was said Wing's psychiatrist, a blond male who was known only as Spanner due to his technophile attitude and love for engineering small robots. He had been a mechanic part time during his studies, and was only too happy to help his comrades out if their cars needed a fix.

"Tsuna said it's time to let Belphegor out of his room, and Ryohei had to go home early," Shoichi explained. "We've already cleared everyone out of the grounds so he can have some freedom."

Gokudera knew what was being asked of him; without Ryohei to keep the patient in check, Tsuna was asking him to do it. As much as he hated Belphegor, if Tsuna had asked him to do it, than he definitely would.

"I could use a smoke anyway." Gokudera shrugged, trying to make it out to not be a big deal, despite the fact that he was bursting with enthusiasm for making Tsuna proud. "Help me get him out of the restraints."

The other two males nodded as they waited for Gokudera to fish a specific key from his pocket. They followed the silver-haired man over to the room people rarely ever stepped into without reason – in fact, _no one _stepped into that room unless their job required it.

It was silent as Gokudera pushed open the door. The lights were already on, illuminating the body that laid still beneath the warm blankets heaped on it. The staff member could _feel _those eyes on him, watching every move he made, ever calculating and ready to lash out when it was least expected.

"Has the peasant come to shove pills down the prince's throat?" The voice that wafted from the bed was soft, silky and sweet sounding. However, Gokudera knew that Belphegor was none of those things; he was vicious and if given the chance, he would skewer you with as many knives as he could handle and bathe in your blood.

"Ryohei isn't here today, so the Tenth asked me to take you out to the grounds today." Gokudera hated being nice to someone who had no comprehension of kindness; he would much rather just leave the unstable man in the room and let him rot. He pulled the blankets from the man forcefully, leaving them in a pile on the ground.

"Princes don't need an escort from dirty peasants~" the blond man sang, obscured eyes sparkling with malice. "Princes should be let free~"

"We _did _let you roam, but you caused too many unprovoked fights, you dumbass." Gokudera gestured to the thick belt-like restraints that kept Bel's legs still, signalling for Spanner and Shoichi to start from there. He himself worked on undoing the belt that rested against his patient's stomach, the other two males moving up to undo the belts that kept his upper body and arms unmovable.

"I just wanted to know what their blood tasted like. Ushishishi~" Bel licked his lips, moving only when Spanner's hands rested on his shoulders, knowing that he was free. "Blood is the prince's sustenance~"

Shoichi, remembering something important at these words, gathered Gokudera's attention. "We've made sure Rasiel is confined to his room while Belphegor gets his free time."

Bel stiffened at the name, frowning. He twitched a few times before a crazed grin slipped onto his face, more laughter filling the air before suddenly falling silent again. He screamed loudly, as if he were in pain, for a few seconds before he stopped, staring blankly ahead of him.

Gokudera, who had worked with Bel for ten years now, knew that speaking of his older twin brother, Rasiel, was taboo; after Belphegor had slaughtered his parents, he tried to kill his brother next. He would have succeeded if the cops hadn't arrived when they did.

The silver-haired male had never been too sure if Rasiel had always been unstable himself or if it had been triggered by what his brother had done, but they had to be separated at all times without exception.

The two twins shared near-identical mental problems; they were both schizophrenic, had mood disorders and were obsessed with blood. While Rasiel could be controlled, Bel could not, and spent most of his days sedated after a sudden disturbance in his disorders. Bel had displayed suicidal behaviour in the past when given the chance, while Rasiel seemed oddly complacent with how his life was, although the difference in that could be that while Belphegor had been abused by his family and – allegedly – raped multiple times by his own twin, Rasiel had been spoilt and doted on by everyone, leaving Bel alone in the background.

Gokudera knew it wasn't a good sign when Bel started to rock back and forth, which the older male had started doing now. "Oi, Belphegor! Are you coming outside, or would you rather lie here for even longer?"

Shoichi and Spanner shared a look before they stepped forward. Spanner was the one to speak, having grown used to dealing with similar mannerisms in Rasiel.

"I'll give you a strawberry lollipop if you'll agree to coming for a walk." Spanner reached into his pocket, holding out said sweet as if to prove his point.

"You're not supposed to be giving them food," Gokudera scolded lightly. "Besides, he'd find a way to chop your balls off with that lollipop."

The corners of Bel's lips lifted slightly, as if he was picturing himself doing said act and found it amusing. He reached out slowly, hesitating before he snatched the sweet with lightning speed from his fellow blond.

Spanner just smiled in his usual laid-back manner before he reached out, patting Bel's head. He knew the older male couldn't stand physical contact, but it was in his nature to show his affections.

Bel shuddered and snarled as he pulled away, the pink lollipop already in his mouth. He growled again as Shoichi tried to help him off the bed, a warning that they were already two seconds away from getting the lollipop stem pushed through their eyes if they kept trying to touch him.

"Thank you for your help," Gokudera said as he finally managed to usher Belphegor out into the corridor, the older man knowing exactly where they were going; he was only ever let out into the gardens where he couldn't run away or cause fights with the other patients.

Gokudera tried to ignore the random bouts of insane laughter, but it was hard to do when his patience was already short.

_I'm sorry, Tenth..._ Gokudera sighed, apologising to Tsuna already. _I think I might let you down today. _

_**~~XX~~**_

Yamamoto had long-since grown used to breaking up fights within the hospital, his easy-going and cheerful personality casting tranquillity wherever he went. He was sitting in the activity room, supervising the patients who wanted out of their rooms. He was careful to watch that no one left the room, knowing that it was time for Belphegor's daily walk and that it wouldn't go well at all if the deranged blond saw a chance at attacking someone weaker than him.

The young man could sense a fight about to break out between two of the Varia Wing patients, Xanxus and Squalo. It was very common for these particular two to fight, as they rarely ever seemed to be able to get along, but were just as rarely seen apart from each other.

Yamamoto wasn't certain, but he was pretty sure there was an unusual romantic relationship between the two. He didn't mind if that were the case; love was love in his eyes.

Standing up from the table he had been resting at, Yamamoto approached the two, his calm smile on his face.

"Is something the matter, guys?" Yamamoto had always been fond of Squalo, greatly looking up to the man.

"That stupid bitchface won't fucking admit that I won that piece of shit game!" The long, silver-haired man shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at the darker-haired male slouched in his seat, a hand of cards splayed out on the small table they were seated at. "My cards are higher than his!"

"Shut the fuck up, trash." Xanxus looked bored like he usually did, but Yamamoto could sense that he was becoming agitated quickly.

"Not until you fucking admit that I won!" Squalo stood up, flipping the table as he did so. He didn't care that there were a multitude of eyes now focused solely on him; all that mattered was being right.

Xanxus growled as he, too, got to his feet. In a low, dangerous voice, he snarled, "What makes you think you can treat a mafia boss like that, shark trash?"

"You're not even _in _the mafia, you delusional fuck!" Squalo shouted. He ducked as a punch was aimed at him, moving closer to shove the older male.

"Guys, stop!" Yamamoto was now in between them, trying to calm them down. "Squalo, we can fix what's bothering you. Xanxus, you... Well, as long as you're not fighting again, you can do what you want."

Xanxus wasn't a man who responded well to being told what to do; it was much easier to give him some free reign with a _reasonable _restriction – nine times out of ten, he would simply sit back down in his favourite chair and stare around at everyone in boredom.

As expected, Xanxus did just that, blocking out Squalo's bitching.

"I told him that _my _fucking cards were higher than his, but he fucking _insisted _on being the winner!" Squalo argued, his dark eyes burning with anger.

"Well, what cards did you have, Squalo?" Yamamoto was a patient person, and he never minded resolving Squalo's issues; it was usually a case of miscommunication and fear of not being good enough.

"Three aces and a king," the taller male muttered.

"And what did Xanxus have?"

"Three kings and an ace."

"You did win, Squalo." Yamamoto smiled. "As long as _you _know you won, it doesn't matter what anyone else says."

Squalo took a deep breath, nodding. He leant down, setting the table back up and gathering the cards that had scattered.

"Deal an extra hand, please," Yamamoto requested softly. "I would like to play, too."

Squalo nodded again, doing as asked.

Yamamoto greatly enjoyed his work; he loved interacting with everyone, and he especially loved spending time with the patients like this.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Did you pay for that lollipop?"

Bel pulled said sweet from his mouth as he sent a lopsided grin to the girl leaning against the door to the grounds. He shook his head, his grin never faltering. "It was given to me, Mammy~"

Gokudera scowled at the indigo-haired girl; he knew that she was the closest thing to a friend Bel had – if the blond even considered her that – and that she often accompanied him on his walks.

"Are you here to join him, Viper?" Gokudera would have been only too happy to leave the other male in the hands of the young woman, but he wasn't stupid – just because she was the only one Bel hadn't tried to harm before didn't mean he _wouldn't_; he could do it right now if he wanted to.

"It's Mammon. There's nothing better to do around here." The girl moved away from the door, moving to stand by Bel's side. "Mukuro said he would see me today, and he never showed up."

"We got a new patient yesterday," Gokudera pointed out. "Mukuro has taken a liking to him."

"Shishi~" Bel reached out, dancing the tips of his fingers against Mammon's chest. He licked his lips before he leant in close, whispering, "Is Mammy jealous~?"

The girl – Mammon – never pulled away from Bel's touches. She didn't whisper back, instead saying outright, "Mukuro is my cousin, Bel; there's nothing between us."

Gokudera scowled as he looked away, uncomfortable with what he was seeing; everyone knew that Bel was _very _promiscuous and often sought out a bed partner on the occasions he was given freedom, and most everyone had also seem him shamelessly initiating sexual contact on someone else, or even found him doing things inappropriate for the public's eyes.

Belphegor pressed his taller body against Mammon's, purring into her ear. He rested his face against her neck, grinning widely as she agreed to something Gokudera hadn't heard.

"Belphegor, unless you want to – oh, god..." Gokudera covered his mouth as he averted his eyes, not wanting to witness Bel slide his hand into Mammon's pants. He wanted nothing more than to leave the two alone, but he knew, with such an unbalanced man, it was too dangerous to leave him alone – especially with a woman.

The silver-haired male hadn't believed he would hate Bel more than he already did. Today proved him wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Because there are so many major characters in this particular fic, I'm trying to make the chapters longer than usual to fit in more detail and involve as many different characters as I can. Some chapters will focus more on specific characters as their actions will overlap later with another character (if that makes any sense), but all in all, I've never worked on a story like this before, so it might take some practise in giving everyone as much screen time and plot development as I can. A bit of criticism in this matter would be greatly appreciated so I can know what I'm doing well and what I need to work on; I strive to do my best in each story so I can please as many readers as I can, so it's good to know my strengths and weaknesses. **

Tsuna was a very accepting person by heart; he never judged anyone by their skin colour, gender or sexuality, and he most certainly never let a sickness define what he thought of someone else, but if there was one patient that always made him laugh with their antics, it was Byakuran, a white-haired man with a marshmallow fetish and a delusional disorder similar to Mukuro's.

Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera were sitting together out in the activities room, comparing notes on certain patients, when a marshmallow was thrown at them. They knew instantly who it was, and turning around to come face-to-face with the smiling man made it all the more clearer.

"Do you want this back?" Yamamoto picked up the fluffy treat, holding it out with a big smile. "It's not like you to waste food."

Byakuran stood up from the table he had been sitting at, taking back his single marshmallow. "Thank you."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile as he noticed the paper-mache wings sitting on the table in front of the older male. "Did you make those with Shoichi-kun today?"

Byakuran nodded, a smile similar to Mukuro's gracing his face. Tsuna had noticed the two patients' personalities were quite similar; both were playful, but at the same time their disorders could twist their actions and cause them to do things they were barely conscious of.

"It might be best if you take them to your room so no one breaks them," Tsuna said softly, thinking only of the other man's feelings. "You did very well on them, Byakuran."

The taller male's smile brightened as he nodded, standing up to do as suggested. The three staff members watched him leave before Yamamoto spoke.

"He looks much better than when he was first here."

The two older males nodded. Again, Byakuran wasn't a patient Gokudera was fond of, but he tolerated the other better than most of the others.

"The important thing is that his delusions have stopped for the most part." Tsuna glanced down at his watch before he looked back over his notes. "I'm still surprised he was throwing marshmallows at us."

Gokudera sniggered as Yamamoto laughed; the two knew how much of a sweet tooth their patient had.

It had been quiet in the activity room today; it was storming viciously outside, a cold draft seeping into the building – the heating system had been malfunctioning as of late, and as hard as Tsuna had tried to get someone out to look at it, it was difficult when the company was so busy, they were put on a waiting list.

So when the swinging doors opened again shortly after Byakuran had returned, Tsuna looked up to see who was entering. He tilted his head and frowned as Mukuro approached him, the new patient, Fran, close by.

"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro purred, his eyes shining with amusement, "I'm not sure if you realise this or not, but with your lack of security lately, patients are getting out of hand."

"Ryohei can't spend his life here, Mukuro," Tsuna replied back calmly. "I understand what you're saying, but until we can staff more guards, we can only make do with our manpower. If someone has been bothering you, I would be more than happy to sort it out."

"Oh, no, it's not important." Mukuro's smile widened, as if he had been waiting for this. "I must tell you that if you're going to be sorting people out, you should start with yourself; I still want your body, Tsunayoshi."

"I'll see what I can do for you, Mukuro, but I can't promise anything." Tsuna was calm, knowing how to handle the older male.

"See to it that you do. Come, little one." Mukuro reached out, taking Fran's tiny hand in his. The smaller male moved quickly to keep up with the stronger one, looking at the ground as he did so.

"That's a bit... _odd_." Yamamoto watched the two patients head over to an unoccupied couch, the blue-haired man climbing on first before the younger followed him up; he knew it wasn't normal for Mukuro to let someone so close to him. "What's up with them?"

"Maybe Mukuro's just learning to let other people in. I think – hold on, Byakuran's going over there."

Byakuran and Mukuro conflicted dangerously. While what looked to others to be a calm, civil conversation, was actually subtle taunting as they tried to coax each other into making the first move.

Yamamoto stood up, ready to intervene if it looked to be anything serious today; the two didn't always fight, but that wasn't often.

"Mukuro-chan is looking swell today." Byakuran was standing in front of the couch, his big smile on his face. His light purple eyes regarded Fran curiously, but inside he was thinking of the best way to get the younger out of the picture; despite his seemingly calm and soft demeanour, Byakuran could be as sadistic and vicious as Belphegor if he didn't like someone. "Who is your little friend?"

"His name is Fran." Mukuro pulled Fran onto his lap, their chests pressing against each other as the older male wrapped his arms protectively around the boy. "He belongs to _me _now."

Byakuran's smile held a deadly edge to it now. He moved closer, reaching out to touch teal hair, only to laugh softly as the boy whimpered and pressed further against Mukuro, trying to escape the touch.

"He _is _quite adorable," Byakuran observed. "However, I think you should just throw him to Belphegor – I'm sure the young prince wouldn't mind a fuck toy."

Fran moaned into Mukuro's shoulder as he started to tremble. He could feel the way Mukuro's grip on him tightened, and heard the hiss said man made.

"Would you like to know what Hell feels like?" Mukuro's heterochromatic eyes narrowed as they observed his antagonist. "I would be more than happy to introduce you to it."

"Oh, and which past life are you referring to?" Byakuran laughed cheerfully as he pulled a marshmallow from his pocket, flicking it into his mouth. "Could it be that you're such a terrible person, you went to Hell in all of them? Such a sad destiny to forever be cursed with the promise of Hell."

Fran was very uncomfortable with the things he was hearing; he didn't want the newcomer to stay any longer – he just wanted to have Mukuro back to himself so that he could at least feel somewhat safe with his new living conditions.

"M-master..." Fran wriggled around on the man's lap, trying to get as close as he possibly could, hoping that maybe if he appeared small enough, the other male would forget that he was there and would leave him alone.

Mukuro ran a hand through Fran's dirty teal locks, trying to soothe the other. His attention was focused on Byakuran, and as much as he wanted to fight the other, he knew that the three staff members were waiting to intervene.

"'Master'?" Byakuran smirked. "Have you managed to dominate him already? I heard the rumours that say he is a rape victim. They say his father raped and abused him his entire life, and that he was so messed up in the head from it, no one wanted him and he was dumped here."

Fran sniffed as his fingers dug into Mukuro's clothing, knowing that the 'rumours' were correct. He had hoped to keep that part of his life secret, but apparently word got around fast.

"What I do with him is _our _business," Mukuro growled. "His past is _not _to be brought up without his consent."

"I don't think anyone cares much about his _consent_, Muku-chan." Byakuran smiled, as if what he had said wasn't one of the cruellest things anyone could come up with.

By now, Tsuna had realised the severity of the situation, managing to catch snippets of their conversation. He nodded at Gokudera to handle Byakuran while he and Yamamoto moved to Mukuro's side.

"Byakuran, I think it's time for you to leave Mukuro and Fran alone." Tsuna was trying to his best to be as friendly as he could be, but it was hard when he felt sickened by the idea of someone using a young boy's past to mess with someone _else_.

"Muku-chan and I haven't finished our conversation." Byakuran smiled playfully as he regarded the others.

"I understand, but if you want to talk with him, you should not be saying those kinds of things to him. Please go with Gokudera-kun, Byakuran."

The white-haired man didn't protest; he went along peacefully. Yamamoto knelt down by Mukuro's side, trying to catch sight of Fran's face; he wasn't sure if the other was crying or not.

Reaching out to brush teal hair from Fran's face, Yamamoto smiled as brightly as he could when frightened eyes fixed on him. "Want to come play some baseball with me?"

Fran blinked, tears slipping past his long eyelashes, as he looked up at Mukuro. The older man smiled down at him, Mukuro pressing his lips against Fran's forehead as he nodded. "Go on, little one. He is one of the few good ones here. I have to see my cousin, so I will come and collect you when I'm done."

Fran nodded, hesitant to climb off of his new guardian's lap. He avoided all eye contact with Yamamoto, flinching as the man reached out to pat his shoulder. He hugged himself as he followed behind Yamamoto, looking back at Mukuro as he fought the temptation to run back to him and hide in his arms.

Tsuna watched the two go before he turned back to Mukuro, his dark eyes as soft as his voice. "What's the deal with Fran? It isn't like you to become attached to someone so quickly."

Mukuro's smirk widened as he stood up, reaching out to caress Tsuna's face. "Don't get the wrong idea, Tsunayoshi; he's cute and all, but it's _you _I want."

Gently shaking Mukuro's hand from his face, Tsuna nodded. "As long as you look after him, Mukuro-san; he's been hurt enough in his life – just like you."

"The difference between us is that I was a guinea pig for experiments ran by my own family." Reaching up, Mukuro brushed back strands of blue hair, revealing his red eye. "This eye is the proof of that. He's lucky he didn't have to go through that much."

Tsuna smiled sadly as he patted Mukuro on the back, knowing that the slaughter of his family hadn't been entirely due to his illness; he had been sane enough to know what was going on when he was repeatedly tied down to a table – he had just been pushed over his breaking point.

"You shouldn't have had to experience that either, Mukuro-san; neither of you deserved any of that."

"I do not need your pity, Tsunayoshi; that is one thing I do not dabble in."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile a bit brighter at these words, knowing how strong Mukuro really was at heart.

_**~~XX~~**_

Hibari had never been one for social activities; during his school years, he had focused solely on disciplining those who went against the rules, and even now, he was serious about enforcing the rules – while Tsuna had – fearfully – requested a kinder, gentler approach to the patients, Hibari had reluctantly agreed on the condition that if he were to run into those breaking rules, he could punish them how he wished, staff, patient or visitor.

So now, as someone kicked his office door open and a head of blond hair poked in, Hibari knew he was pissed off.

"Why are you out of your room, herbivore?" Hibari stood up, withdrawing a pair of tonfa from his desk drawer. "I do not remember granting permission for you to be wandering around unsupervised."

Belphegor stood in the doorway, a shit-eating grin on his face. His hands were covered in blood, specks of it on his lower face, and his shirt was stained with copious amounts.

"The prince was bored~" Belphegor leant against the doorframe, pulling a knife from his pocket. The blade was stained in blood, and Hibari wasn't sure of it were his blood or someone else's. "It's not nice to keep a prince restrained~"

"Whose blood is that?" Hibari gestured to the other's shirt, his dark eyes narrowed.

"It's the blood of a prince~" Bel lifted the blade to his lips, his long tongue cleaning the red liquid from it. He didn't flinch as his tongue was sliced; he merely laughed and licked his lips, spreading it around his face. "There were no peasants around to skewer~"

Hibari wasn't sure of where the patient had gotten that knife, nor did he know how he had gotten out of restraints _and _a locked door. Bel really _was _a mystery.

While the raven approached Bel, the blond stepped back in order to keep distance between them. His mind was calculating each and every move that was made, forming an angle of attack within seconds. Hibari, however, was also a force to be reckoned with – when Belphegor started running at him with crazed laughter, Hibari countered, sparing himself an injury while simultaneously catching the smaller man off-guard.

"Hibari-san!"

Both males turned to look as they noticed Yamamoto and Fran running towards them – well, Yamamoto ran while simultaneously dragging Fran along with him.

"Hibari-san, what's going on?"

"The herbivore has gotten out again."

Yamamoto winced as he noticed all the blood that covered Bel; he hated knowing that Belphegor got kicks out of drawing his own blood, knowing that with suicidal behaviour already established, the patient could be found dead one day, and no one would have even realised he had – again – gotten out of his restraints.

"Fran, you stay back here, alright?" Yamamoto placed both hands on the boy's shoulders as he pressed Fran against the wall, hoping the younger would be okay and that Belphegor wouldn't notice him there. "If he comes at you, you've got to run."

Fran nodded, his emotionless facade broken as he displayed fear – probably due to remembering too much of his past because of what was happening.

"Now, now, Bel-kun." Yamamoto raised his hands slowly as he warily approached the older male. He knew that Belphegor was unpredictable, and had a knife he would be only too happy to use. "Why are you out of your room?"

"The prince wanted to squash a cockroach." Bel's grin was maniacal as he laughed. "Ushishishi~ The prince just wants to know where Jill is~"

"Bel-kun, you know you're not allowed to see Rasiel, or be out of your room without supervision." Yamamoto reached out towards Bel, prepared to pull back at the slightest movement from the other. "Who let you out?"

"Ushishishi~" Bel just laughed, obscured eyes watching warily as a hand approached him. He shivered in anticipation before, as quick as lightning, he jumped forward, knocking Yamamoto to the ground. He raised the knife, ready to stab as many times as he could, but Yamamoto was also fast; the younger male had raised his arm, blocking the knife. A large gash was left behind, but it was better than being impaled in a vital organ.

"Get off!" Yamamoto struggled to push the patient off him, knowing that Bel was insane and would kill him at the first chance he was given – there was no room to be lenient here; it was his life or Bel's.

Hibari knew that his employee was in trouble, so tackling Bel off the other, he managed to pin him to the ground and wrestle the knife out of Bel's hand. One could never be too sure that was the only knife Bel had, but Hibari would most certainly notice if another was being drawn.

Bel snarled and screamed as he struggled to get free – if there was one thing he hated more than being touched, it was being restrained and held down on the ground; only too many times had his older twin brother held him down and violated him, and he would be damned if he let it happen anymore.

Yamamoto withdrew an emergency syringe he kept in his pocket. He knelt by the two older men, reaching out for Bel's arm. He pricked the blond and sent sedatives throughout the vicious male's body, and now all they had to do was wait.

Fran was still standing by the wall, watching with wide, horrified eyes as Yamamoto bled dangerously fast, the sleeve of his blue jacket becoming wet with blood. He was honestly too scared to move, so when Yamamoto's attention focused on him, he bit back a sob, not knowing what to expect; was the man going to take it out on him...?

"Sorry, Fran..." Yamamoto winced before he smiled at the younger. "Guess we'll have to play baseball another time."

"Go to the infirmary and get that looked at." Hibari knelt by the blond's side, ignoring the random mumblings the other made.

"I'm okay; I'll take Bel with me and make sure he's alright." Yamamoto leant down as well, trying to lift the sedated man from the ground. He whimpered and dropped Bel as his injury burned angrily, knowing that Hibari was right.

"Come on, Fran." Yamamoto nodded his head towards they way they had come. "Can you come with me, please?"

Fran nodded and followed the man, sparing a wary glance at the two still in the hallway. He reached out, his tiny hand curling into Yamamoto's jacket as he pressed closer to him, frightened by what had happened.

"Is your arm okay...?" Fran whispered, teal eyes looking scared.

"It will be. I'm just glad it wasn't you he went after." Yamamoto truly _was _grateful it had been him and not the boy; he was certain that if it _had _been Fran, the teenager would have been dead already.

"What was wrong with him...?" The boy sounded so sad, it broke Yamamoto's heart.

Yamamoto offered his gentlest smile before he explained, knowing that this was a sensitive topic for Fran. "Similar to the things you went through, Bel did, too. Schizophrenia isn't normally an illness that makes the sufferer become violent to those around them, but we've established that the voices he hears is what aggravates his own suffering. He suffered very much in his life, and it's made him the man he is today. Please do not think badly of him; he's already been through enough as it is without being judged for the things he can't control."

"..." Fran looked at his feet as he nodded, knowing what it was like to be judged; he had tried several times to kill himself over the years, and back when he was still attending school, the teachers and students alike made him feel as if there was something wrong with him for what he had tried – as if what he was going through at home wasn't a valid reason to feel the way he did.

"Belphegor needs a lot of help," Yamamoto said, mostly to himself this time. "More than anything, he needs a friend, but there are few people in this building who care about him... It's tragic, really."

Fran knew it was a tragic story, but he also knew that could have been him in Bel's position; he could have been all alone, but Mukuro had plucked him from Tsuna's grasp and taken him in. He was lucky for that – Mukuro was honestly the first friend he had ever had.

Deep down in his heart, Fran felt a relief that at least _he _was better off than Belphegor – and he knew it was selfish of him to think that way.

_**~~XX~~**_

Over the years, Spanner had become fond of Rasiel; the man was usually pleasant to talk to, but if he was in a particularly sadistic mood, he spoke of nothing but Bel – they weren't good things at all, and the only reason any of the staff had made a guess at sexual abuse in the twins' childhood was because Rasiel constantly talked of the things he had done to his sibling.

Bel had never confirmed this as he always fell silent when this was questioned, but the unrelenting hatred and wish to kill Rasiel had been enough to assume there _was _some truth to what was said.

Belphegor wasn't a patient Spanner saw much; the man was always kept in his room, running on strict exercise routines that were carefully formulated to avoid as much contact with the other patients as possible – it wasn't because the staff hated Bel; it was because the blond was so dangerous, none of them wanted to take any chances.

Knocking on the younger twin's door to alert Bel to his presence, Spanner slipped the key he had borrowed from Yamamoto into the lock and twisted it, stepping into the room seconds later. As expected, Bel was restrained to the bed, a frown on the man's face.

"I heard about what happened." Spanner closed the door behind him, moving to sit on the chair pressed against the far wall. "Who let you out?"

Bel mumbled something incomprehensible, his body shifting as if he was trying to roll onto his side.

"Pardon?" Spanner pulled out a lollipop from his pocket, just like he was accustomed to doing.

"Baseball brat didn't lock the door..." Bel muttered a tad louder. "Squalo came in, shouting at me... Got mad..."

"Why would he shout at you, Bel?"

"Because I was laughing too loud and disturbed his fucking beauty sleep..." Bel tended to be docile for a while after sedation. It seemed to be the only time one could hold a conversation with him without his illnesses getting in the way.

Spanner nodded, understanding what he had been told; Yamamoto hadn't locked the door after his session with Bel, and after that, Squalo had come in, not only making the blond angry, but helping him realise he had one less confine. So how did...?

"How did you get out of your restraints?" Spanner questioned, twirling the lollipop in his hand.

"Broke the buckles..."

"Smart man." Spanner moved to sit on the side of the bed, taking the wrapping off the lollipop. He pressed it against Bel's lips, and it took only a few seconds of tensing before Bel realised what it was.

Bel eagerly accepted the treat into his mouth, sucking away greedily as Spanner held onto the stem, careful so that Bel wouldn't choke.

It was rare for Spanner to be intrigued by someone more than he was with technology, but he had certainly been fascinated by Belphegor over the years; the vast contrast between the twins was astounding, and after working with one, Spanner couldn't resist unravelling the other.

Sometimes that allure made Spanner wonder just where he crossed the line regarding his feelings towards Bel; he had never felt a sexual attraction to Rasiel, and while he was already in a committed relationship, there were the nights he lay awake thinking of the younger twin.

Spanner often wondered if he should see a shrink of his own regarding this issue.


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you guys doing?" Yamamoto smiled as he took note of Squalo and Lussuria standing in the hallway of the Varia Wing corridor together, muttering about something. Lussuria was smiling placidly while Squalo turned around to glare at his therapist, a vein on his forehead twitching.

"Not your business, trash!" Squalo screamed, waving his arms in the air in a threatening manner. "Butt out!"

Lussuria chuckled before he pressed the tips of his forefingers together, a soft, easy-going smile crossing his face. "Squal-chan was telling me about his latest date with Xanxus-kun~"

Yamamoto laughed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "I thought you guys were together. May I ask? How do you go on dates together, though?"

A dark tint crossed Squalo's cheeks before he started shouting again, taking a few steps towards Yamamoto. "It's not your fucking business!"

Yamamoto raised his hands into the air, his voice taking on that soothing aspect that made him so good at what he did. "Now, now, Squalo, I meant no harm in asking; I was just curious. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

Squalo huffed before he turned around and stormed back into his room, the door slamming closed behind him. Lussuria just chuckled as he turned to regard the younger male.

"Their dates consist of activities, fighting, and then sex." Lussuria had never seemed as docile as he did in this moment.

"It seems he didn't want me to know about his relationship." Yamamoto could understand that; despite the way he carried himself, Squalo was rather unconfident in himself and probably feared negative attention from his psychologist.

"I was the only one to know until I told you~" Lussuria opened the door to his bedroom, just by his side; he knew that Yamamoto was here for one of their sessions together.

Xanxus, Lussuria and Squalo went years back, so it was only natural they were all as close as they were. Yamamoto followed the older male into the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

"How are you feeling today, Lussuria?" Yamamoto took a seat on the chair while his patient sat on the edge of the bed.

Lussuria hummed as he swung his legs back and forth, his smile becoming crooked the more he relaxed. "I'm okay, hon~ What about you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Yamamoto's grin was as bright as the man's personality. "Is there anything you wish to talk about with me today?"

Lussuria started shaking his head before he frowned, nodding instead. "...There's something that's been bothering me..."

"What's that?"

"Ryohei hasn't been here the past couple of days... Is he alright?" Lussuria sounded so concerned for someone else, it was refreshing – Yamamoto was used to the lack of empathy and self-neglect most of the patients had, which was why he was rather fond of Lussuria.

"He's fine; there was just some family issues he had to attend to. He's back today if you want to see him after we're done talking."

Lussuria smiled brightly as he nodded, his laid-back personality returning. "Maybe he'll tell me what was going on so I can help~"

The younger male felt warm at his patient's words; Lussuria had a good heart – it was just unfortunate he didn't have anyone willing to care for him when he needed it. As a teenager, he had been kicked out of home by his parents for his orientation, which had resulted in his anxiety, and his bi-polar episodes were so severe, he couldn't afford to live by himself, which was why he had brought himself here.

"Do you think he'll bring the portable TV so we can watch boxing again?" Lussuria sounded so hopeful, Yamamoto couldn't help but agree – Ryohei and Lussuria had a very close friendship, founded on their similar interests. The patient tended to stick close to Ryohei at times, and it was never surprising to walk into the security office and find them kicking back and watching TV together as if they'd known each other forever.

"I'll let him know you're asking about it. Is there anything else? Is your medication bothering you at all?"

"No, hon~" Lussuria leant back against his wall, picking up one of his stuffed teddy bears. He hugged it tightly to him as he smiled brightly, shaking his head at Yamamoto. "May we end this now so I can visit Ryohei?"

Yamamoto nodded as he stood up. He reached out, clapping Lussuria on the shoulder. "Let me know if there's anything bothering you, okay?"

"Thank you, sweetie." Lussuria lifted the teddy, burying his face in the soft fabric.

Yamamoto closed the door quietly behind him. He checked his watch, finding that he had a free hour until his next session, and there really wasn't anything else he needed to do.

Moving to the door across from Lussuria's, Yamamoto pushed it open, checking the occupant inside. He found Xanxus on the bed, curled up in the blankets as he slept peacefully – no trouble from him for a while.

The room next to the dark-haired man's was Bel's, and upon checking up on the resident, Yamamoto found the blond laughing to himself as he mumbled away, completely unaware of his therapist's presence.

Squalo had been placed next to Belphegor, and upon making sure the man was okay, Yamamoto found him standing by the window, staring out into the distance.

"I hope I didn't upset you earlier, Squalo." Yamamoto stepped further into the room, keeping the door open.

Squalo just shrugged, not bothering to turn around and face the younger. "Next time stay the fuck out of what isn't your fucking business..."

"I won't tell anyone, Squalo – I promise. I have a free hour if there's anything you want to talk to me about."

"Leave." Squalo pointed towards the door, his hand trembling as if he was trying to restrain himself from some great impulse.

Yamamoto nodded. "I'm always here if you need me, Squalo." With that out in the open, he turned around, exiting the room.

Across from Squalo's room was Fran's. It didn't seem the boy was around today as the younger wasn't even found hiding under his bed – it had been quickly discovered that Fran had a phobia of beds and wouldn't use his, but none of the doctors forced him; they understood.

Mammon sat peacefully in her chair in the room next to Fran's. When asked if she needed anything, she just waved a dismissive hand, her silent explanation that she was busy running over finances in her head – what she needed to calculate them for was a mystery, but she _had _come here after her OCD with money grew so great, she had almost starved herself to death refusing to spend any to feed herself.

Leviathan, like Xanxus, was fast asleep, leaving Yamamoto satisfied that the Varia Wing weren't causing any problems today.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Look at this footage, herbivore."

Tsuna winced as he approached the small monitor that rested in Hibari's office, used solely to review tapes to clarify how incidents had occurred. He was surprised to see that the dark-haired man had pulled up footage of one of Tsuna's latest interactions with Mukuro and Fran.

"I'm not sure I understand, Hibari-san..." Tsuna knew what his boss was upset about, but the truth was, it hadn't been _Tsuna's _fault.

Pausing the footage at the exact second Mukuro's lips pushed over Tsuna's, Hibari turned to glare at the brunet. "Do you want to explain _why _you were sucking face with _him_? You have two seconds before I bite you to death."

"M-mukuro-san doesn't know any better!" Tsuna squeaked, more worried about what Hibari would do to the ill man than what could potentially happen to _him_. "You know he's sick!"

"I should bite you _both _to death." Hibari was _seething, _that much was clear – but the problem was, Tsuna couldn't work out _why_; Hibari already had a lover, and there was nothing but bad blood between the skylark and Mukuro – at least, he _thought _it was that way; he couldn't be entirely sure.

"H-hibari-san, I-I'll fix it!" Tsuna squeaked again, backing away as the older male came closer to him. "I'll make sure that... that next time he _knows_ not to do it...!"

Dark eyes observed the brunet, an unreadable emotion in them. "You're too soft, herbivore."

Tsuna nodded in agreement before he fled the office, knowing it was Hibari's subtle way of dismissing him.

In fear, Tsuna ran to his own office, needing to recuperate before he approached Mukuro again – it _really _wasn't the older male's fault he had done what he had, and _Tsuna _hadn't taken it to heart, so why would Hibari...?

"Sometimes I can't help but think Hibari-san likes Mukuro-san or something..." Tsuna sighed as he sat at his desk, dropping his face into his hands. Hopefully Hibari would leave Mukuro alone and let him deal with it like he had requested.

_**~~XX~~**_

Fran had been making his way back to his own room after lunch, Mukuro having been approached by Hibari. The blue-haired man had merely smirked before he sent Fran on his way, promising the younger he would catch up with him.

The boy hugged himself, wincing every time his footsteps echoed in the corridor; he didn't want any attention drawn to him after all.

Fran's attention had expended warily, trying to search every nook and cranny for someone who could be waiting for him to hurt him – but to be honest, after hearing a blood-curdling scream coming from Belphegor's bedroom, he couldn't help but think he had come at the right time as any potential danger was too busy working the blond over.

Approaching Belphegor's bedroom warily, Fran peeked into the room through the crack in the door. He worried about why Gokudera was in there with him as the silver-haired male didn't look happy at all, but Bel seemed capable of taking care of himself as he had latched on to his psychiatrist's hand and bit down with all the strength he could muster, refusing to let go.

"Fucking bastard!" Gokudera shouted, instinctively trying to slap Bel's face away from him. Fran winced at the sight, but he didn't leave just yet – something about the situation was drawing him in. "Let go, you asshole!"

Bel snarled something incomprehensible as he shook his head, only to let go as a syringe was waved in front of his face in a threatening manner. He hated having that used on him, so he was reluctant to let go, licking at the blood that caked his lips.

Gokudera hissed to himself as he wrapped his hand in his shirt, his hand having been covered in blood. He undid the top restraint as he helped Bel into a sitting position, grabbing the glass of water he had placed on the chair beside them.

Surprisingly, Bel cooperated as he took in a mouthful of water; usually the man pulled his face away, fighting as hard as he could against his medication – but it was then Gokudera realised _why _Bel hadn't struggled; the man spat the water at the silver-haired male the second Gokudera had turned his back to him.

"Belphegor!" Gokudera resisted the strong urge to maim the man, instead trying to give Bel another mouthful of water. However this time, Bel just kept turning his head, grunting and snarling as he did so.

Gokudera wanted to sedate the older male, Tsuna had already had a talk with him and asked for no one to continuously sedate Bel unless he was _really _out of control – something about the blond's trust issues or something or other Gokudera really didn't care about.

"Why won't he take the tablets...?"

Gokudera turned as he heard an unfamiliar voice at the doorway. He cursed himself for having not locked the door, but while Bel was still in his restraints, it wasn't as dangerous as usual to have someone come in.

"Because he's a fucking stubborn prick!" Gokudera growled, turning to glare at Bel.

Silently, Fran stepped forward. He kept his head down as he approached the bed, grabbing the water and medication without a word.

Gokudera didn't try to stop the boy – not when he was two seconds away from killing Bel himself. "Watch it – he'll bite you if you're not careful."

Fran nodded, taking Gokudera's words to heart. The truth was, he was nervous of Belphegor, remembering the way he had attacked Yamamoto right in front of him, but he didn't like how Gokudera was handling this situation – Fran had learnt, just from having known Mukuro for a few days, that patience and kindness went a long way.

Before, Fran's life had been nothing but pain and fear, waiting anxiously for the next round of abuse. He hadn't known there was kindness out there in the world, but finally having some of that rarity shown towards him had really helped him see that he wasn't the only one out there who had suffered.

If someone could show care towards Fran and invoke feelings in him he didn't know existed, he wanted to help return that feeling and let others know that they didn't have to feel the way Fran had for all those years. Having met Mukuro, Fran had found hope for a better future.

"I don't like taking medicine either, but it will make you feel better." Fran warily held up a single pill to Bel's eyes, showing him his intention. "Do you want to feel better...?"

Bel didn't speak; his obscured eyes just stared into Fran's, ever calculating. He could tell that this boy was scared of him, but unlike the others, he had made the conscious decision to approach him – everyone else just avoided him as if he were plague.

"Open up..." Fran warily placed an orange pill against pale lips. He pushed it in when he was given room, only to flinch and hold his hand there, whimpering as teeth dug into his skin, not hard enough to break the soft flesh but still enough for it to hurt.

_Why isn't he screaming...? _Bel was confused; he was so used to people reacting negatively towards him, it was a shock to find that there was someone he_ hadn't _scared away. _He's supposed to have attacked me and then run away by now..._

Fran cracked open one eye as he felt the pressure on his hand disappear, frowning as he looked at Bel. The older male had stuck his tongue out of its warm cavern, licking the area he had injured.

Gokudera reached out, ready to send Fran away, only to stop and gawk as Bel placidly accepted the medication from the boy, taking the water without any problems.

When at last the final pill had been swallowed, a tiny hand reached out, patting teal hair. Bel just shivered and snarled as he pulled away, but he made no attempt at maiming the younger.

"I think it will be better for you to go back to your room now..." Gokudera had never thought Bel would react so calmly to someone – especially when _he _was the one with his hand wrapped in his shirt, skin torn just from Bel's teeth alone. "I can handle him from here."

Fran nodded. He climbed off the bed and wandered over to the door, stopping only to spare a glance at the blond. He swore he could feel the other's eyes on him, and as he closed the door, he just made out the words, "See ya, frog..." coming from inside.

Fran wasn't sure if it were a good idea or not, but he was thinking about going back and seeing Bel again tomorrow – he had a feeling that if there was someone out there who could understand the things Fran felt, it would be Bel.

"Now I just have to wait for Master to come back..." The boy sighed as he headed into his own room, closing the door quietly and moving to hide under his bed as he had become accustomed to doing. "I hope he comes back soon..."

_**~~XX~~**_

"Master, what happened to your neck?"

On his way to Fran's room, Mukuro had worried about the boy seeing the fresh marks on his neck and being triggered – to his relief, it seemed that if Fran had ever been marked, he either didn't recognise them or had never taken to a mirror to notice the bruises.

"I tripped and hit my neck." Mukuro shrugged, not having the heart to tell Fran what the marks really were. "It's nothing to worry about, little one."

Fran nodded. He pulled himself out from under his bed slowly, glancing around for any unexpected visitors, before he closed the distance between he and Mukuro. He rested comfortably on the man's lap, fitting perfectly against the stronger body, sighing peacefully as he rested his ear against Mukuro's chest to listen to the calm heartbeat.

Mukuro encased the boy in his long arms, holding him close. He rocked him slowly, humming to him, and within minutes, Fran was on the verge of sleep.

"Rest easy, my beautiful little one..." Mukuro whispered, threading his fingers through dirty teal locks. He had no intention of leaving Fran by himself, so dragging himself across the room so that his back rested against the wall, he, too, closed his eyes, joining Fran in sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

"Siel, can you cooperate with us, please?" Shoichi sighed as he made a note on his pad. "We didn't ask about... _that_."

"You should have seen the look on his face~" Rasiel, who was the mirror image of his younger twin, smiled in a manner more twisted than Belphegor. Like his sibling, his blond bangs obscured his eyes, but instead of the shaggy hairstyle the younger had, Rasiel's were trimmed into a neat arch. "He cried and begged the king to stop~ There was so much blood~!"

Shoichi and Spanner shared a look; they knew that Rasiel was becoming sicker as the days went on – his medication was losing its touch, reverting the usually-pleasant man into a maniac.

"Siel, can we not talk about Belphegor, please?" Shoichi's stomach was starting to hurt, nervous about what the older male could potentially do in this state – while the twins were two of the highest priority patients, every effort possible had been done in order to ensure anything that could potentially be used as a weapon was kept away from them. "We were asking about your medication – do you think we need to change it?"

"The king just couldn't stop~! Ushesheshe~ It felt so _good_~! Every time the king took him, he cried and screamed for hours after it~"

Shoichi knew he couldn't give up on the man, but Spanner – even though he was a much more relaxed individual than the redhead, quickly explained that he needed to leave the room and sort out his own thoughts.

Shoichi nodded, gulping as he was left alone with Rasiel. He knew that no matter what he said, none of it was going to get through to the blond, so he instead went along with the Millefiore Wing patient's train of thought.

Despite having heard the answer multiple times, Shoichi asked, "Why would you do that to Belphegor, Siel?"

"Because the king loves him~" The smile Rasiel donned – while genuine – was full of nothing but malice, no hint as to the 'love' he had proclaimed.

Shoichi didn't know whether or not Rasiel _did _love Bel, but one thing was for sure – he had messed his brother up in the head so badly, there was no helping the younger twin.

_**~~XX~~**_

Spanner wandered the corridors aimlessly, trying to sort out his own feelings. He worried that he was doing the wrong thing by keeping his feelings from Shoichi – the two had been best friends and lovers for ten years, after all – but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt Shoichi – the older male had been through enough as it was, after all.

"Spanner-kun~"

Spanner turned as he was addressed by whom he knew to be Byakuran – no one else in the facility had such a playful tone. He regarded the man standing in the doorway of Byakuran's bedroom, as calm as ever. "Yes?"

"Shoichi-kun." Byakuran's light purple eyes shone with excitement. "Where is he?"

"He's with Rasiel." Spanner checked his wristwatch. "He should be done in about half-an-hour."

"Oh, Jill-kun." A chuckle escaped the white-haired male's lips as he reached up, rubbing the tips of his fingers against the purple mark beneath his eye. "Jill-kun told me he was going to get his brother back~"

"What do you mean?" Spanner tilted his head, concerned by these words – Rasiel _had _gotten to Belphegor before, and there really was nothing stopping it from happening again – not when Rasiel was just as good an escape artist as Bel was.

"I hear the 'king' is planning on killing them both so they can 'be together forever'." Byakuran's eyes narrowed, a smirk crossing his lips. "Actually, that's not a bad idea – perhaps Muku-chan and I could try that and see how it goes?"

Spanner knew there was probably no basis to the claims Byakuran was making, but when it came to Rasiel, no chances could be taken – Rasiel was just as much a murderer as his brother was.

"It's nothing against you, but with the threat you just made against both yourself and the Vongola patient, I'll have you supervised just as much as I will Rasiel."

With that said, Spanner went on his way, leaving Byakuran standing in the doorway to his room.

_Note to self; tell the Vongola that four of his patients may wind up dead_. Spanner grabbed a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapping the candy and popping it straight into his mouth. _Strawberry is really my favourite flavour. _

_**~~XX~~**_

When Tsuna was approached by Spanner that day, he was greatly concerned to hear what Byakuran had said. He had started explaining to the psychiatrist his plan of action, but a shrill scream from down the hall quickly had both of their attention.

Tsuna was quick to turn around and put his hands on Lussuria, who seemed to have come out of nowhere to engulf the younger male in a hug.

"Luss, what's wrong?" Tsuna was greatly concerned, knowing it was rare to see this man so dismantled – something horrible must have happened.

"Squalo-chan... He... He..." Lussuria needed no more words for Tsuna and Spanner to understand; the two quickly ran down to the Varia Wing with Lussuria close behind them, finding the door to Squalo's room ajar and Xanxus kneeling over Squalo's motionless body. The dark-haired man seemed emotionless, but there was a subtle shaking of his fingers, indicating his stress.

"He wasn't taking his medication!" Lussuria sobbed as he stood in the doorway, watching the staff members approach Squalo and Xanxus. "He only made out he was and kept the pills hidden! He overdosed!"

Tsuna sprung up from Squalo's body, moving to put his hands on Lussuria's shoulders. He gently backed the older male out of the room, knowing this wasn't something Lussuria had to see – Squalo and Xanxus were the patient's best friends, and he loved them both dearly. "Luss, it's going to be okay; we're going to get him to the medical ward and get him some help – I promise. Spanner, can you call someone?"

Spanner nodded, grabbing his phone from his pocket while simultaneously pressing two digits against the long-haired male's neck. He was relieved to feel a pulse, albeit a faint one.

"I'm going to call for an ambulance," Spanner said to Xanxus. He didn't comment as he watched the scarred male take the injured one's hand in his, knowing it was none of his business. "Can you carry him into the front yard for us?"

Xanxus was silent as he scooped his lover into his arms, following Spanner out of the room and down the corridor. Tsuna was still trying to calm Lussuria, the flamboyant male slumped against the wall as tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Luss-kun, Spanner is calling an ambulance," the brunet promised. "I'm going to find Yamamoto and get him to go to the hospital with Squalo, and the second I hear from him, I'll let you know what's going on. Alright?"

Lussuria wiped at his cheeks, nodding; he knew there was nothing he could do in this situation, and if he _did _try and do what he felt was right, he would most likely just get in the way – he had done enough by finding a staff member – _any _staff member - and telling them what had happened.

"I think Ryohei was down in the Vongola Wing, so if you want to go look for him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you helped him on the patrol. Okay? Once everything is sorted out, I'll come and talk to you."

Lussuria nodded. He pulled the brunet into a bone-crushing hug, sobbing into the younger's shoulder for a few seconds before he left go. "Thank you, hon..."

"It's alright." Tsuna knew he couldn't waste any time finding Yamamoto; if the ambulance was held up waiting for the man, it could mean death for Squalo.

To his relief, Yamamoto was found relatively quickly in the activities room, talking to Hibari and Gokudera. After the youngest male was told what had happened to his favourite patient, Yamamoto left within seconds to be by Squalo's side.

_**~~XX~~**_

With the chaos that had ensued after Squalo's suicide attempt, the staff members and most of the patients had been shaken. As much as Tsuna had cared about Belphegor and Mukuro's safety once Spanner had told him what Rasiel and Byakuran had said, he had forgotten completely about taking extra precautions to make sure nothing _did _happen.

While the hospital was shrouded in darkness, most of the staff home for the night, it was near silent, most of the patients fast asleep while Ryohei walked the corridors, making sure everyone was alright.

Nothing seemed amiss; Mukuro was curled up in his bed, his eyes shut and a peaceful smile on his face. He mumbled something every now and then, but he didn't wake.

As expected with the Varia Wing, the only one who seemed to be sleeping were Mammon and Fran, the others awake either because they were stressed about Squalo, or – in Belphegor's case – were making random noises as the voices in his head whispered away at full force. Sometimes he would laugh, other times he frowned and then snarled, but more often than not, he would just scream as loud as he could and struggle in his restraints. Ryohei didn't have the heart to tell him to keep it down, knowing that Belphegor didn't intend on disrupting anyone else.

Once Ryohei was satisfied everyone was safe, he then went to check on the Millefiore patients. Byakuran seemed to be awake, watching as the rain hit his window. He turned as the security guard knocked on the little window in his door, a silent question if he was okay. He nodded and gave the younger thumbs up before he returned to his activity.

Rasiel as well seemed to have followed most of the other's examples; he was nothing but a big lump beneath his blankets, his blond hair the only part of him that was visible from beneath the white comforter.

The boxing enthusiast nodded to himself as he returned to the security room, going to take his break and have a drink before he did another round.

Inside Rasiel's room, the older twin slowly pulled the blankets from his face, a wide smirk on his face as he slowly slid out of his bed. Everything had gone according to plan.

_**~~XX~~**_

Fran stirred, his face twisted in discomfort, before his eyes snapped open and a scream escaped his lips. He curled into a ball, shaking as the memories wouldn't stop assaulting him. Tears leaked down his cheeks as he whimpered to himself, wanting nothing more than to die. He scratched at the scars that marred his wrists, trying to reopen them, hoping that, with some luck, he would bleed to death tonight.

"Master..." Fran reached up, rubbing at his wet eyes – he didn't care that he was smearing blood across his face; he just wanted Mukuro. "M-master...!"

Crawling out from under his bed, Fran stumbled to the door warily. With tear-filled eyes, he tried to turn the knob, unsure of if it would even open or not – he didn't know if the bedrooms were locked at night, but it made sense that they would be.

To his surprise, the door was unlocked. Leaving behind a bloody handprint, Fran opened it and ran, not sparing a glance for any of the rooms behind him – all that mattered was being back in Mukuro's warm arms.

Just fifteen minutes after this had occurred, Rasiel came around the corner, humming to himself as he held a wide smile on his face. He twirled a butcher's knife in his hands, one he had gotten from the kitchen on his way to Belphegor's room. He had been smart enough to break the lock on his door, knowing that his room was one of the few that was locked at night – apparently he was 'more dangerous' than someone like Lussuria, so he got locked in at night while the other male could roam the halls if he wished.

Pretty unfair to do to a king, he knew.

Quickly glancing around him to make sure no one was around, Rasiel stabbed the knife in between the door and its frame, wriggling it and the doorknob around to open the lock. He couldn't help but laugh silently at the thought that, after all these years, none of the staff had become wise to the fact that there was no where he couldn't get in and out of if he wanted to.

Once the door was open and Rasiel was standing in the room he had been forbidden from entering under any and all circumstances, he laughed to himself as his twisted grin crossed his f ace.

"Belphegor~" Rasiel cooed, approaching the bed. He couldn't help but feel a twitching in his groin as the younger fell silent at his voice, the slightly smaller blond clearly knowing what was about to happen.

"I fucking _hate _you, Jill..." Bel snarled as he tried to break free of his confines. "I'll _kill _you!"

"No need for that, little brother; I'm here to do it for you." Rasiel licked his lips as he stepped closer, hiding the knife behind his back. He climbed onto the bed, straddling the younger's hips, rocking forward slightly, just enough to send the slightest feeling of pleasure through Bel's body. Leaning forward, he pressed their lips together as he pulled the blade into Belphegor's view, running the tip along a pale throat. Droplets of blood fell in its wake, staining the knife. "But first, let's play my favourite game~"

Bel let out a scream as he felt a sudden sharp, burning pain in his stomach, knowing he had been stabbed. His obscured eyes clouded with hatred as he struggled more violently than ever in his restraints, screaming in pain, anger and _fear_. "I'll kill you!"

"I love you, Belphegor~" Rasiel stuck a small wad of cotton in his brother's mouth to keep the younger from biting down all the way. He then infiltrated the hot cavern with his own tongue, his hands slipping down to undo both of their pants. Just as he pushed himself into his sibling's unprepared entrance, he continued his game of stabbing the younger until eventually his own front became saturated in the sticky red fluid.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Oya oya, what's happening here?" Heterochromatic eyes knew something had to be wrong for the entire Varia Wing to be exiting their bedrooms and gathering at Belphegor's – to be fair, Mukuro had heard the psychotic blond's screaming several times, and it had _never _sounded like this before – _this _screaming was nothing but pain and desperation.

"Master...?" Fran looked up at the man who was escorting him back to his room, clutching Mukuro's hand tightly.

Xanxus was the last person to come out his room, his face looking more angry than concerned. He pushed past the crowd and kicked open the slightly ajar door – when he started shouting at someone who was _not _Belphegor, everyone else warily looked into the room.

What they saw was Xanxus and Belphegor's older twin fighting savagely, the blond covered in blood that obviously was _not _his own. They held their breaths as they looked to Belphegor's bed, finding the other twitching uncontrollably.

Lussuria, who had medical experience, stepped into the room, careful to avoid the scuffling males. He approached Bel and lifted the younger's shirt, finding blood pouring from deep puncture wounds.

"Dear..." Lussuria bit his lip, knowing there was nothing he could do without medical equipment; he instead pulled the striped shirt back down, trying to put pressure on the wounds and stop the bleeding. He hoped that Ryohei would see what was happening on the cameras and come as fast as he could because he was rather fond of Belphegor, having been one of the ones who had tried to care for the man when he and Rasiel had arrived here at a young age.

Mammon had come to Lussuria's side, looking down at the man who was rapidly losing colour, harsh pants escaping his lips. She ran a hand through blond locks, caressing a lacerated cheek.

"It's okay, Bel," Mammon soothed. She turned back to the fighting men, finding that Leviathan had joined in, obviously siding with Xanxus over Rasiel. Mukuro and Fran stood in the doorway, heterochromatic eyes shining with confusion while Fran hid himself in the man's body.

Bel just moaned, unable to find the strength to do anything other than stare around him with a glazed expression – he hurt, both mentally and physically. Lussuria was the one to notice his pants hanging down his hips, blood and semen leaking out between his legs. It was clear what had happened, and Lussuria hadn't felt as sick as he did right now.

When Ryohei arrived, the first person he sedated was Rasiel, knowing that the older twin had been the one to cause the commotion – there was no other explanation for him being out of his room, after all.

After clearing the majority of the Wing back to their own rooms, Ryohei was left with the troublesome realisation that he had a severely wounded patient on his hands without a medic, and having already sent one to the hospital, the staff there would refuse another patient– as hard as Tsuna had tried to work with the hospital nurses, they were discriminatory.

"Luss, I'll take him to the medical ward," Ryohei instructed the older male. "Can you do whatever you can for him?"

Lussuria nodded, running ahead to the medical ward in hopes it was already unlocked so he could prepare ahead of time. The grey-haired man turned to Mukuro and Fran, whom he had instructed to stay behind. As he pulled a moaning, snarling Belphegor into his arms, he turned his focus on the other two males.

"Rokudo, take him to the medical ward, too. Clean up his arms." Ryohei supported Bel's head against his shoulder as he carried the other bridal style out of the room and down to the medical ward. He could hear the soft dripping of blood as he moved, feel it clinging to his skin like a leech.

By the time Ryohei got the blond male into the infirmary and down onto the bed, Lussuria had already gathered what he would need; he had a blood pack, an IV, disinfectant and a thread and needle – as much as he required one, he had not been able to find either sedatives or painkillers, much less something to at least numb the injured area.

Ryohei stepped back and watched as the flamboyant man lifted the blood-soaked shirt, revealing the wounds once again. He didn't want to hurt Bel, but he knew he had to clean out the wound and check for any physical trauma – if he wasn't careful, these wounds could become infected or even kill Bel after a few days of appearing fine.

Belphegor growled weakly as he felt hands on his body. He tried his hardest to pull away, snarl a warning for them to leave him alone, but he was in far too much pain to be coherent enough to achieve this – pain inflicted by his brother was _vastly _different than pain inflicted by himself.

Ryohei left Lussuria to work, trusting the man's medical knowledge and experience. He moved over to Fran and Mukuro, trying to block out the screams and whimpers of pain Bel made.

"What happened to your arms, Fran?" Ryohei asked. He reached down, pulling one into his hold, looking at the blood that covered both limbs. When Fran just shook his head and hid behind Mukuro, the grey-haired male turned his attention to the man instead. "What did he do?"

Mukuro's eyes glinted with annoyance as he wrapped an arm around Fran's upper body, holding him close. "He is depressed and traumatised – do you not realise what they add up to?"

It took a few seconds for Ryohei to click, but he soon nodded in understanding – what Fran had done was essentially no different to Squalo's own attempt, the only difference being that the boy hadn't had the necessary equipment in order to maim himself so severely.

"Let's clean the blood off your skin and then we'll go from there," Ryohei soothed, bringing Fran over to the basin to wash the blood off.

Though Mukuro never left his side, soothing the younger throughout it all, he couldn't help but notice that Fran watched as Lussuria tried to help the blond, teal eyes wide with what Mukuro could recognise as empathy.

Though Mukuro himself couldn't comprehend others' feelings and emotions, he _did _feel sorry for Belphegor after what he had just been put through. He was just glad it hadn't been _him_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the late update; I was being a tad lazy with this fic. The first half of this fic was complicated to write, and me being me dealt with the complication by procrastinating. Aren't I amazing? Yes, that was sarcasm. Sorry, guys.**

**On a related note; would you guys rather have lemons, or fluff and lime instead? I'm happy to write lemons, but the only issue is that I get distracted easily and my motivation goes down the drain which makes it take a day or a few for me to finish them. If you want lemons, let me know, but a warning in advance is that I may take a while with them. **

When Tsuna arrived back at the facility bright and early that morning, the first thing he did was check on the patients. He was greatly concerned when he noticed that three of his well-behaved patients were gone from their rooms, coupled with the twins' own disappearance – it might not be as worrisome if one twin was gone, but both of them, and with three other patients...

Tsuna couldn't rule out the possibility that the twins had snapped and attacked the others – it had happened before, and they were prepared for it to happen again.

Making his way to the infirmary, Tsuna prepared himself for a lot of things – but what he _wasn't _prepared for was to find Belphegor curled up in the hospital bed, Fran in his arms while Mukuro and Lussuria slept on chairs by the blond's side. There was an IV hooked to Bel's arm, sending blood back into his system, and though the man had a pained grimace on his face, he didn't seem to be bothered by his guests.

"Luss-kun?" Tsuna moved to the older male's side, shaking Lussuria awake. "Luss-kun, what happened?"

Lussuria lifted his sunglasses, reaching under them to rub at his eyes. He turned away as he did this, not wanting the brunet to see his hidden orbs.

"Poor Bel-chan got attacked by his brother..." Lussuria frowned as he looked over to the blond. "I've done what I could for him..."

"Where's Rasiel?" Tsuna was tense as he awaited the answer.

"Ryohei has him in the office, in case he tries anything else again."

Tsuna nodded. He moved over to the blond, patting a trembling shoulder. "Why are Fran and Mukuro here?"

"Fran was scratching at his cuts, so I had Mukuro clean him up while I tended to Bel-chan." Lussuria stood, checking over Bel to make sure the younger male was going to be okay. "Poor little Fran was pretty distressed, but he knew what had happened to Bel-chan. He... He had been through it, too... So he stayed because he knew what it was like to be alone and scared, and Mukuro stayed with Fran."

"I'm surprised that Belphegor is letting Fran be so close to him..." The brunet pointed out.

"I'm not sure if he's aware of Frannie's presence or not, actually; Fran didn't approach him until Bel passed out, hon~"

"We should get them back to their rooms before he _does _wake up and notice." Tsuna moved to Mukuro's side, gently shaking the patient awake. "Mukuro-san...?"

While Tsuna dealt with the blue-haired man, Lussuria gently pried Fran away from the blond. The flamboyant male quickly stopped and frowned as he noticed the way Bel whined and tightened his hold on Fran, as if he didn't want the other to go.

"Tsuna, dear...?" Lussuria called. "Bel-chan seems to be feeling lonely today; he doesn't want me to take Fran away..."

Tsuna frowned at these words. He quickly soothed Mukuro as the man wearily asked what was going on, telling him to go back to sleep. He then turned to Lussuria and, smiling as he did so, said, "I guess it won't hurt to leave Fran there for a while longer."

Lussuria smiled back, agreeing whole-heartedly.

_**~~XX~~**_

It wasn't often that Hibari brought his boyfriend out to the facility; while Dino Cavallone was a gentle and caring person, he was usually too busy running a business to be able to come out. When he _did _have time, he visited the patients happily, spending time with them and comforting them when they were distressed.

The man's love for visiting the patients had started when Dino's childhood friend, Squalo, had been admitted – Squalo's family had found it too hard to care for the man as his Depression was most obvious in how angry and withdrawn he always was. For years, Squalo had battled against it, but when the suicidal behaviour emerged, he had been abandoned to the Namimori Psychiatric Hospital at just fourteen years of age, where he had eventually met sixteen-year-old Xanxus and eighteen-year-old Lussuria, who had found their way here under similar circumstances.

Without those two, Squalo would have had no one but Dino, who came out as often as he could to comfort and reassure Squalo that he would be alright in the end. Having grown used to being a shoulder to lean on, Dino had dedicated himself to helping as many of the other patients as he could.

"Have you heard anything about Squalo?" the blond man questioned as he and Hibari entered the younger male's office together.

"The baseball herbivore said the shark herbivore will be back by lunchtime." Hibari closed the door behind them, knowing that out of all the patients here, Squalo was the most important one to his boyfriend.

"I actually have a question for you, Kyouya." Dino sidled closer to his lover, his voice taking on a softer tone. "...I heard some rumours from Tsuna and the others..."

Hibari raised an eyebrow at this, knowing what was coming. "..."

"..." Taking a deep breath, Dino asked, "...Are you involved with Mukuro...?"

"What were they saying?" Hibari was as calm as ever, knowing his lover would understand even when he would find out he had been cheated on numerous times.

"They said that... Well, Mukuro spends a lot of his time in your office, and... when he comes out, he... He smells of sex and sweat and... has marks on his neck..."

"That is true." Hibari knew there was no hiding what he had been doing – and he wasn't one to lie, especially to his lover. "I should have told you, herbivore."

Dino was visibly saddened by the younger's words, but he knew that this could have gone _a lot _worse, and he owed it to Hibari for at least being honest about his actions. "...May I ask why...?"

Hibari just shrugged, not entirely sure of his own reasoning. "Does it upset you?"

"It does..." Dino sighed as he moved to the door of his office. "I'm going to go see some of the patients. I'll be back soon, Kyouya."

Hibari nodded, letting the older man do as he pleased.

_**~~XX~~**_

After having heard about what had happened in the Varia Wing the previous night, Dino had made sure his first stop was at the medical ward, wondering how Belphegor was doing.

To his surprise, the only other person sitting with the injured blond was the Millefiore psychiatrist, Spanner.

"I didn't expect you to be here," Dino said truthfully as he took a seat next to the younger male.

Spanner shrugged as he pulled a lollipop from his mouth. "I had a free period and Shoichi-kun was busy."

"How is he?" Dino questioned, noticing that for the most part, Bel seemed to be sleeping peacefully – but one could never be too sure as his eyes were always hidden.

"He's doing better; Lussuria was the one to have cared for the injuries. He just needs someone to watch him because you can never be too careful with stab wounds."

The two talked quietly for a few more minutes before the door opened again and Shoichi wandered in, a pained expression on his face as he held his stomach.

Silently, Spanner reached out, opening his arms for the older male. Shoichi offered a weak smile as he sat on his lover's lap, feeling safe as familiar arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Are you okay?" Spanner asked. He moved his face forward, pressing his lips to the red-haired male's. He was as tender as ever, everything about his personality gentle, and Dino could see just how much the two loved each other.

"Just... Rasiel's bothering me..." Shoichi sighed as he buried his face in the taller male's throat. "...Stomach hurts..."

"I know..." Spanner kissed his partner again, tightening his hold on the smaller male ever so carefully. "I'll go in with you next time."

Shoichi seemed to be relaxing in his boyfriend's hold, so Dino stood up and left, knowing they'd probably appreciate a bit of privacy, even if they were currently sitting beside an unconscious patient.

Leaving the medical ward, Dino travelled down the hallway, heading towards the Vongola Wing. Mukuro was a patient he hadn't seen in a while, and he was curious as to how the man was doing.

It didn't take too long to reach the blue-haired male's room. Knocking politely on the door, Dino opened it slowly before he poked his head in, giving the man a bit of privacy if it was needed.

"Hey, Mukuro, I – o-oh..." Dino stood awkwardly in the doorway, watching as Mukuro pulled his lips away from a teal-haired boy's, his hands quickly slipping out from beneath the black turtleneck the seemingly-young boy wore. "Am I interrupting?"

The boy looked uncomfortable as he buried his face in Mukuro's chest, skinny arms wrapping around the Vongola patient's neck.

"Oya oya, you haven't heard of knocking?" Heterochromatic eyes stared blankly at Dino, a frown on the younger man's face.

"I _did _knock," Dino explained. "You must have been, uh... too _busy _to have heard me..."

Mukuro patted the boy's back as he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Is Tsunayoshi around?"

"I'm here, Mukuro-san."

The three males in the room looked up as Tsuna entered. The brunet looked tired, as if he had been dealing with a lot all day.

"Tsunayoshi, you are late for our appointment. Kufufu~" Mukuro smiled playfully as he made himself more comfortable on the bed, pulling Fran closer to him. "May my little one stay with us for today?"

"That's fine." Tsuna smiled at the boy before he turned to Dino. He looked at the blond, very close to the older male. "It's great to see you again, Dino-san. Once I'm done here, do you want to catch up over lunch?"

"That'd be great." Dino grinned as he patted brunet hair. He then turned to the patients, smiling at them. "I'll see you another time, Mukuro. Goodbye – uh..."

"Fran." Tsuna smiled as he gave out the youngest male's name, knowing he'd have to fill his friend in on the newcomer over lunch.

"Ah." Dino smiled once again, farewelling the boy properly. "Goodbye, Fran."

Fran made no acknowledgement he had heard the younger; he instead continued to cling to Mukuro, never wanting to be apart from the man.

Once the door to Mukuro's room had been closed again, Mukuro's playful smile took on a more sinister appearance. He gently pried the boy from his lap, whispering into Fran's ear, his heterochromatic eyes never once leaving brown ones.

Tsuna watched as Fran sniffed before he got off the bed, instead moving to hide beneath it as he left the two adults alone.

"Is he okay, Mukuro-san?" Tsuna questioned, concern for the Varia patient in his heart. His reply wasn't verbal; he was instead pushed down onto the mattress as Mukuro loomed over him. "M-mukuro-san!"

"Kufufu~" Mukuro grinned down at the younger male, not intending on getting up any time soon. "The little one is fine; he is still learning that sex isn't bad. Would you help show my little one that it's okay? Hmm?"

"Mukuro-san!" Tsuna tried to push the man off him, but the blue-haired male was strong, despite his seemingly-fragile appearance. "Mukuro-san, this is highly inappropriate!"

"I know you're involved with some of the other patients," Mukuro whispered down into the brunet's ear. "I know you've been with Xanxus, and even Belphegor – and the latter wasn't even forced in the slightest. Xanxus _might _care about you, but Belphegor doesn't care for _anyone, _so why sleep with _him _and reject all the love _I _can give you?"

"Mukuro-san, this – _Mukuro-san!_" Tsuna squeaked as he felt a hand slip beneath the waistband of his pants, trying to pull away. "Mukuro-san, I-"

"-If you're not careful, you'll upset my little one," Mukuro purred as he caressed the younger male's shaft. "He'll believe this isn't consensual. He's making progress; you wouldn't want to force him to take steps back, would you?"

"..." Tsuna knew the stronger male was right – if he wasn't careful in how he acted in this situation, he could potentially scar Fran and make him fall back into the state he was in when he first arrived.

Tsuna wasn't entirely sure of why he was resisting the taller male – it was true that he had been involved previously with other patients, as were a lot of the staff, but why was Mukuro different to the others? Out of all the patients who had merely lusted in those moments, why had Tsuna accepted their touch and instead pushed away the genuine feelings Mukuro held for him?

Maybe Tsuna was afraid of Hibari finding out. Maybe he was scared of things between he and Mukuro going too far – but how could it go too far when Mukuro wouldn't harm what he viewed as his?

Mukuro really _was _one of the more honest patients, always in tune with what he felt and rarely blurring reality with his disorders anymore. Not to mention the man was one of the most attractive patients within the entire hospital – so why did Tsuna always resist?

The blue-haired man leant down, sucking against Tsuna's bobbing throat. His hands explored gently – far too gently for the stereotypical 'asylum patient' – taking in the body beneath him. Mukuro hadn't been with all that many people in his life; he had been a virgin when he had arrived here so it was natural his choices of bed partners were limited, but even so, the brunet's body was unlike anything he had felt before; it was soft and warm, soothing in its entirety.

"Mukuro-san..." Tsuna knew that this wasn't completely unwanted – there had forever been a part inside him that had dreamt of this moment. He let his eyes slip closed as he turned his head to the side, relaxing as a calloused hand slowly worked his shaft.

The ill man grinned as he pressed their lips together, softly at first. He stuck his tongue out, licking at the smaller male's mouth, silently requesting entrance. When it was given to him, he knew he finally had Tsuna under his spell.

_**~~XX~~**_

Dino had been relieved to know that, as he stood talking to Lussuria in the corridor of the Varia Wing, he had been in time to witness Yamamoto carefully helping Squalo back into his room. All attention was drawn onto the white-haired man as he walked slowly behind the psychologist, looking as it moving was taking a great deal of effort.

Yamamoto smiled as everyone crowded around them. "Now, now, guys, Squalo just got out of hospital. He's still feeling unwell and he's very sore, so it will be best for him to just go to his room and rest for a while. You can catch up with him once he's feeling better."

Leviathan – who hadn't been all that interested from the beginning – went back to his room. Lussuria looked sad, but understanding at the same time as he moved back, giving his friend room. Mammon nodded, happy to know the long-haired male was okay, and left the Wing altogether, probably trying to find someone she could scam a few dollars out of.

Dino respected what the younger male had said, so taking a few steps back to follow Lussuria's example, he called, "I'm really happy you're okay, Squalo. Enjoy your rest."

Squalo just looked at the ground as he realised the only one who hadn't obeyed Yamamoto's orders was Xanxus. The man looked angry as he regarded his younger lover, but Squalo could get it – he had almost left the man in mourning, after all.

"Xanxus..." Squalo sighed, not knowing what to say. He nibbled at his lip, wishing he had words for Xanxus – he was so lost in his thoughts, he flinched when strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him in against a strong chest. "...X-xanxus...?"

"Stupid shark trash..." the dark-haired man muttered as he rested his chin on silver hair. "...Don't ever do that again, trash."

"..." Squalo nodded as he returned the embrace, knowing he was safe in his lover's arms. He was vaguely aware of Yamamoto smiling at them before the young man left to give them privacy, and he was glad; he was very self-conscious of his relationship, worried he would not be accepted or mistreated for it, so he preferred for them to be affectionate behind closed doors where no one could see.


	7. Chapter 7

"Fran-kun, are you going to have a shower today?"

Fran looked up and stared blankly into Yamamoto's face. Like usual, he was seated in Mukuro's lap, sticking close to the older male in the man's room. He didn't reply; he just turned and buried his face in against Mukuro's chest.

Mukuro patted dirty teal hair before he spoke, knowing why this had been brought up. "He _does _need a shower, doesn't he? He's been skipping all of his since he got here. Why won't you shower, little one?"

"...Scared..." Fran whispered, his small fingers tightening their grip on his guardian's jacket.

"Don't be scared, Fran," Yamamoto soothed. He wanted to reach out and pat the boy like Mukuro could, but he understood – Mukuro was special to Fran, unlike Yamamoto. "It's just a shower. No one's going to hurt you."

"Hate showers..." Fran mumbled. "Hate touching... Hate everything..."

Yamamoto smiled sadly before he turned to look at the blue-haired male, knowing they couldn't let Fran's hygiene fall any further; he had arrived here as a _very _unclean boy, and now he was literally covered in grime. "Would you jump in the shower with him, Mukuro?"

Mukuro looked down at the teenager in his arms. "Would you like that, little one?"

Fran was still for a few seconds before he nodded. He tensed as he felt the man move beneath him, only to relax as he realised he was being carried down to the shower room.

It was quiet between the three as they walked, but none of them minded; the silence was comfortable.

The psychologist was quick to unlock the door to the shower, and he waited for Mukuro and Fran to enter before he, too, went to step in.

Mukuro put the boy on the ground as he shrugged off his own jacket. Fran just stood there, making no move to undress himself. The dark-haired male reached out, attempting to remedy this, only to pull away when Fran screeched in fear and moved to Mukuro.

"I wasn't going to hurt you!" Yamamoto knew he had been careless, but he truly hadn't had any bad intentions – he had only wanted to encourage the younger into caring for his hygiene. "I just..."

Mukuro laughed as he knelt before the boy, reaching out slowly to lift the hem of the younger's turtleneck. Fran was oddly accepting of this; he lifted his arms into the air so that his guardian could remove the shirt, and though he at first resisted having his pants removed, he soon calmed down and allowed the man to help him.

When Yamamoto took a seat by the door, he felt bad at the questioning look he received from Mukuro – the man was so used to being allowed to shower without supervision, he probably didn't even understand Yamamoto _had _to be in there because of Fran's mental health.

"Are you going to leave?" the blue-haired man asked, his arms wrapping around Fran's shoulders securely.

"I'm really sorry, but..." Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head as he tried to explain things in kind terms, "...Fran is not as healthy as you are, so I kind of have to sit in with him..."

Mukuro narrowed his eyes at these words. "Do you not trust me with him...?"

"Now, now, we _all _trust you with Fran, but it's just a part of my job!" Yamamoto laughed nervously as he explained. "I have to sit in with Squalo, too! We don't let Xanxus watch him, if that makes you feel any better."

"Oh..." The older male understood now why Yamamoto had to be here; it was because of Fran's suicidal habits and they couldn't chance the boy doing something if he were left alone in the shower. "I see. Apologies."

"It's okay." Yamamoto sat on the chair by the door, busying himself with folding the clothing he had been handed. He watched the two move beneath the steady flow of the cold water, hating to watch the way Mukuro's skin shuddered and Fran hissed before pulling away from the stream – he would have loved to make the water warm, but it was against regulations as patients could burn themselves.

"Come on." Mukuro was patient as he reached out, pulling the now-trembling male closer to him. "You'll get used to it. We need to wash your hair."

Fran didn't like the cold; he could remember times where he had been locked out of the house in heavy snow, nothing but thin clothing to try and keep the chill away. He had come down with hypothermia so often, he could only wish it had killed him.

But here with Mukuro, Fran knew that he was safe. He took a deep breath before he walked back beneath the water. He watched as the man picked up the bottle of non-alcoholic shampoo, a tad wary of having it in his hair.

"Easy..." Mukuro was tender as he lathered the shampoo in his charge's hair. He could feel the younger shaking beneath his touch, so he continued to whisper soothing words as he made sure to clean as much of the filth from teal hair as he could. "It's okay..."

Fran sighed, slowly relaxing to the comforting feeling of fingers threading through his hair. He moved so that he was standing by the man's side, wrapping his arms around Mukuro's middle. He buried his face just below the taller male's ribcage, too short to reach up any higher.

Mukuro cupped the falling water so that he could drop it on foamy locks. He washed the shampoo out, trying to be as gentle as he could, before he grabbed the bar of soap next.

Yamamoto could see how caring Mukuro was as the man rubbed the bar of soap against the fragile body, doing his best not to make the boy uncomfortable or hurt him – without clothing, the tiny, stick-thin body covered in cuts and bruises made it _much _more obvious how badly Fran had been abused.

The dark-haired male watched carefully as Mukuro got closer and closer to the youngest male's groin, wondering how the boy would react. It was clear the stronger male had no ill intention whatsoever, but would _Fran _understand that...?

"May I?" Mukuro held his sudsy hands in the air as he awaited permission to touch the younger. He proceeded carefully once he was given a nod, knowing that if he made the slightest wrong move, he could send Fran into a panic – or worse, a relapse.

Fran was tense as he was cleaned up down below. His fingernails were digging painfully into Mukuro's arm, but the man didn't mind; all that mattered was his charge was trusting him enough to let him clean him.

"I won't hurt you," Mukuro soothed as he gently ran his soapy hands over the boy's private parts. "I won't."

The teal-haired male's breathing became harder as memories assaulted him. He wanted Mukuro to stop touching him, but how could he say that without being beaten? If he had so much as _begged _his father to at least not _touch _him, he would be tortured. Mukuro had never hurt him before, but could he be asked to stop...?

Mukuro sensed Fran's dilemma; he pulled his hands away, smiling down at the boy. "Just cup some water and splash it on you. Okay?"

Fran nodded, trying to take a deep breath; he needed to calm himself – he wasn't with _him _anymore; he was with someone who genuinely cared for him.

Cupping water in his hands, Fran splashed himself, washing away the spuds. Mukuro's smile widened as he placed a hand on a shivering shoulder.

"I'm going to wash myself and then I'll be out," the man said softly. "Yamamoto has a towel for you if you'd rather."

Fran nodded again as he left the stream of water, heading towards the psychologist who was supervising them. He shivered as the older male stood up and moved to the cupboard, unlocking it and pulling out a towel.

"Here you go, Fran." Yamamoto smiled as he draped the white material over the boy's shoulders. "Give yourself a bit of a dry and you can get dressed again."

Fran turned away so that his back was to the Japanese male, hating when people saw him naked. He dried off the water from his body before he accepted his clothing, dressing himself once more as he waited patiently for the man to finish his own shower.

_**~~XX~~**_

Shoichi's stomach hurt slightly as he sat in the room with Byakuran. Compared to Rasiel, the white-haired male was harmless, but the things he spoke about could be as dirty and unnerving as hearing about the older twin raping his own brother countless times.

"Shoichi-kun is so cute~" Byakuran's voice held his usual playful tone, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He had another pocket full of marshmallows, and every now and then he would offer one to his therapist. "I'm kind of jealous of Spanner; Shoichi-kun would look beautiful in my own bed."

Shoichi's stomach begun to hurt more at these words; he would most definitely have to disappear into his office for a few hours and listen to some music.

However, doing as he was trained to do, the red-haired male said, "Maybe so, but I'm afraid I'm already in a relationship, and I have no intention of cheating on them. I'm sorry."

"You think Spanner wouldn't cheat on you if he was given the chance?" Byakuran's violet eyes took on a knowing look. "Is that what you honestly think?"

Shoichi nodded. "I know Spanner wouldn't do that; he's a good person."

Byakuran laughed. "Well, if that's what Shoichi-kun thinks! But my bed is always open to you~"

"Thank you, but I'm not sure I'll be accepting your offer anytime soon."

"Can we try something different today?" the patient questioned.

"What's that, Byakuran?" Shoichi was slightly worried about this question, but he didn't let it show; he had become good at pretending he was calm and confident when he was with the patients, even if it wasn't so.

"May _I _be the one asking the questions today?"

Shoichi knew he shouldn't accept – he _knew _– but he also knew he wasn't going to get much out of the man at this rate; why not give in to the childish offer?

"What kind of questions did you have in mind?" Shoichi knew he had to be prepared for anything – but even so, he was still caught off-guard when the first question revolved around Spanner.

"How did you and Spanner come to be?" Byakuran leant forward on the bed, his elbow on his leg as he rested his chin in his hand. He looked very intrigued already, and Shoichi could only gulp.

"...I'm not sure I want to answer that, Byakuran..."

"It won't hurt." Light purple eyes closed as the playful smile intensified. "I answer all of _your _questions~"

"...Well, we've been together for a long time..." Shoichi admitted. "We met in a robot-building competition. We kind of... just started hanging out and making blueprints together. It just... happened, I guess..."

"And who made the first move?" Byakuran sidled closer.

"Spanner..." Shoichi remembered that day; he had wanted to tell his best friend of his feelings for so long, but his anxiety had been too severe.

"I'm genuinely curious about this, but is he really as gentle with you as it seems?" The older male's smile was now so wide, it resembled a twisted smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"Does he fuck you hard? Or gently? Is he ever aggressive to you in his touches? Have you ever fought, or has he ever hurt you? I'm _very _intrigued by what the answer to these questions are."

Now that was _way _out of Shoichi's comfort zone. He tried to get up and leave, but Byakuran moved forward and pulled him back to the bed. "Come now, Sho-chan~ It's just a couple of questions; I won't tell anyone~"

"...If I answer, I can leave?" Shoichi was tense, and he knew the other could feel it.

"Of course~"

"...He's never 'fucked me' hard, Byakuran... He's always slow and gentle... That's how _we _like it... And, no, he's not 'aggressive', and we've never fought before... The closest he's come to hurting me is by having dropped Lego on the ground and not picking it up before I stepped on it... That's it; that's the worst thing that's ever happened in our relationship – Lego. I want to go now. Excuse me."

Byakuran chuckled as he let the other up, watching with amused eyes as Shoichi left the room. As much as he liked the younger man, he would never hurt something that intrigued him so – at least not until he got bored of it, after all.

"Sho-chan~" Byakuran smiled to himself at the thought of his psychologist. It was no secret the white-haired man lusted for the younger, but at the same time, everyone knew Shoichi only had eyes for Spanner.

_**~~XX~~**_

After lights-out, Ryohei had started his first patrol – ever since the incident with the twins, Ryohei had been extra careful and paid close attention to the patients, not wanting a repeat of what had happened.

Rasiel was the first person the grey-haired man checked on. Entering the blond male's room, Ryohei brushed back blond bangs, finding that the man was genuinely asleep tonight; the peaceful breathing and relaxed posture proved this.

Byakuran as well rested, the blankets kicked to the end of the bed. Ryohei had half a mind to go in there and pull them back over the older male, but he didn't want to disturb the patient's sleep.

The Varia Wing was next to be checked upon. Lussuria was hugging one of his teddy-bears tightly as he smiled up at the roof, probably imagining something happy. It made Ryohei smile in turn, the two having one of the strongest bonds between patient and staff member in the entire facility.

Mammon and Leviathan were both sleeping, and though Xanxus wasn't in his room when Ryohei checked, it took a mere trip over to Squalo's room to find the two pressed together on the small bed, Xanxus curled protectively around his lover as Squalo rested.

It seemed to be a common occurrence to find Fran missing from his room at lights-out but, like Squalo and Xanxus, it didn't take long to find the boy in Mukuro's room. While the blue-haired man was fast asleep, Fran was still awake, frightened eyes staring out of the window across from them.

Ryohei opened the door, talking quietly as he addressed the younger, "Are you okay?"

Fran nodded. He sat up on the bed, slipping off it hesitantly, before he moved closer to Ryohei. He was careful to leave distance between them, and he spoke in a quiet, uncertain voice.

"May I see Bel-senpai...?" Fran requested, knowing that Mukuro was asleep and wouldn't accompany him tonight.

Ryohei nodded, surprised by the honorific that had been attached to Bel's name – and even more surprised to know that someone wanted to willingly visit the blond maniac.

"I'll take you to him. C'mon."

Fran nodded, trailing behind as he was led to the medical ward.

_**~~XX~~**_

"B-belphegor, please..." Tsuna was trying hard to get the injured patient to take his medication, knowing that the most important pill of all was the painkillers to try and take the edge off the stab wound.

Bel moaned loudly as he turned his head side-to-side, his stomach burning as he did so; it had been a long time since he had been injured so badly, he had almost forgotten what it felt like. His body had been restrained, much like back in his bedroom, but it was harder for him to resist here as his chest hadn't been released so he could sit up.

"Fuck off...!" Bel groaned, wanting nothing to do with Tsuna or the pills that were about to be forced down his throat; he was tired and he was sore, and he just wanted to _sleep_. "Goddamnit... Fucking peasant!"

"Belphegor, if you keep this up, you're going to hurt yourself..." Tsuna was a meek person, and he _cared _for Belphegor; he would do whatever it took to make sure the man was safe. "Please, just take the pills and –"

"-Fucking make me!" The blond spat angrily.

Tsuna sighed. "How do you suppose I do that, Belphegor?"

"Stupid... Stupid peasant!"

The brunet reached out, smoothing back blond locks. He then lowered his hand, caressing a pale cheek as he tried to soothe the older male.

Bel just laughed, as if Tsuna's attempts at making him take the pills did nothing but amuse him. "Shishi~ There are... better places the prince can be touched~"

Tsuna clicked his tongue at the insinuation, but he knew sometimes it was the only choice he had; he hated sedating the man because he knew the more often they did it, the less Bel would trust them and the harder it would be for him to get better.

"If I do _that_, you'll promise to take the pils?" It wasn't the first time this had been used as a tactic for Bel to take his medication, but it also wasn't a favoured one; most of the staff didn't exactly feel comfortable having to use sexual gratification on the patients, after all.

Bel nodded, a grin slipping onto his face. "Promise~"

Tsuna nodded, knowing that Bel was somewhat trustworthy in these moments. He lowered his hand down to the patient's pants, unzipping them slowly. The older male's large erection sprung out, as if he had wanted this all along.

The therapist was hesitant to reach out, but slender fingers eventually wrapped around the heated flesh. Bel moaned again as he tried to buck his hips upwards, but he was held down by the restraints.

"A-aah..." Bel licked his lips as he felt the fingers around him squeeze gently. "M-more... Harder..."

Tsuna sometimes wondered why, after the alleged sexual assault on the blond, why Bel seemed to crave this kind of thing as much as he did – but then again, it could also be explained by the fact that a lot of rape victims grew up to be promiscuous for one reason or another; Bel was probably just trying to forget what he had been through.

The younger male tightened his grip as he slid his hand along the shaft. He could feel pre-cum sliding down onto his fingers, but it made it slightly easier to work with; it was easier to do this kind of thing with some sort of lubrication, after all.

"T-tsuna..." Bel closed his eyes as soft pants started filling the air. He grunted in pain as his stomach wound flared, but he didn't let it bother him; he could worry about that _after _his orgasm. "...Tsuna... S-so good... S-suck the prince..."

"Belphegor, that wasn't a part of the deal," Tsuna reminded gently.

"P-please...?" Bel moaned again, feeling his toes curl at the unmistakable approach of his climax. "T-the prince... wants to come... in the tuna-fish's mouth..."

"You can... do _that _in a tissue tonight... I'm sure Viper would be happy to take you up on that desire."

"Fuck Mammon... The prince wants... his tuna-fish..."

Tsuna really wasn't big on giving oral, but he knew how Bel could be; it would be simpler to indulge in the man's fantasy and then – hopefully – give him the medication without problems; this was the entire reason he had done this in the first place; he just cared about the patient and wanted him to be okay.

Lowering his mouth around the hardened shaft, it took merely a few sucks for Bel to explode with a loud cry, his seed splashing deep into the brunet's throat.

Tsuna swallowed it all before he stood up and grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter. He cleaned up the mess on his face before he grabbed a few more, moving back to Bel. He cleaned up the sticky fluid from the man before he tossed the dirtied tissues into the trash, hoping Bel would hold up his end of the bargain.

Apparently, Bel hadn't been pleased by Tsuna's resistance and _still _refused to take the medication.

"Sawada!"

Tsuna turned around as he heard his friend enter the medical ward. He found Fran trailing in behind Ryohei, and he expected Mukuro to have come as well – to his surprise, the blue-haired man was nowhere to be seen.

"The kid wanted to see him." Ryohei nodded his head at Bel. "Should I take him back?"

"No, no." Tsuna smiled at the two. "He can stay."

Ryohei nodded before he turned to leave the room, intending on finishing his duties. Fran just approached Tsuna slowly, noticing that the brunet was fighting the same battle Gokudera had in trying to get Bel to take his medication.

As he had the other day, Fran simply took the glass of water and the pills from the doctor's hands, moving instead to Bel.

"Hello, Froggy~" Bel grinned, knowing what was coming. He opened his mouth without a single instruction, taking the medication in a docile manner. "Is the frog going to spend the night with the prince again?"

Fran nodded silently as he moved to lie beside the man. He curled his fingers into the striped shirt the older male wore, his back to Tsuna.

"The froggy is quite cute – for a frog, that is~" Bel would have loved to slide his fingers beneath the younger's clothing, but he couldn't manage that tonight – oh well, another day, perhaps.

Fran didn't reply to these words; he just moved in closer, feeling comfortable with someone who understood the things he had been through.

Tsuna smiled at the scene before him, finding it rather endearing. He vaguely wondered how Mukuro would feel knowing that his 'little one' liked someone else just as much as the blue-haired man.

"Let me just fix that dressing." Tsuna stood up and moved to grab a cloth from the counter next to them. He carefully lifted the dressing on Bel's exposed stomach, wiping at the blood that had spilt during the man's strenuous activity previously. He then pulled the dressing off completely, replacing it with a fresh one. He put pressure on the wound, knowing it was healing at a fast pace.

"The tuna-fish takes such good care of his patients~" Bel purred before his laid-back smile instantly changed into one of an irritated frown. He growled before he spat, "But the tuna-fish knows better than to touch the prince unless _he _wants it..."

"I'm sorry, Belphegor." Tsuna couldn't help but smile down at the man, knowing Bel was just a tad more placid tonight; like sedations, orgasms also left him a bit more relaxed.


	8. Chapter 8

Living in a quiet, peaceful part of town was exactly what Shoichi needed; living with severe anxiety and treating other people for similar disorders tended to really stress the man out and make it difficult for him to relax at home – especially when he would repeatedly stay up all night working on a new strategy for some of his patients. Spanner hated when his lover overworked himself, but the older male was a workaholic.

The blond had already changed into his pyjamas for the night, complete with his favourite nightcap, and had been in the process of turning off all the lights in their small home. He was just about to head back to his bedroom and coax his lover into going to bed when someone rang the doorbell. It was nearing ten o'clock, so Spanner wondered who could be at his door.

"Oh, Vongola." Spanner nodded at Tsuna as he found the brunet standing on the doorstep. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you." Tsuna smiled at his friend as he entered the house. He had been here several times before for one reason or another, so he felt comfortable enough to head into the living room and sit down on the couch.

"Could I get you a drink or anything?" Spanner offered.

"That's fine; could I please speak to Shoichi?" Tsuna regarded the blueprints and spare parts that littered the coffee table in front of him, curious as to what the two were planning on building next. "I'm just worried about his lack of sleep lately."

"I'll go and get him for you."

While Tsuna waited patiently in the living room, sliding across the parts to look at the blueprints, Spanner headed back to his bedroom, knowing that Shoichi had been in the middle of changing into pyjamas when he had left earlier.

"Sho, the Vongola is – Shoichi..." Spanner couldn't help but smile as he found his older lover resting against the wall, fast asleep with his shirt only half-way off his body. Leaning down next to his lover, Spanner carefully scooped the redheadhead up into his arms. "Sho-chan, wake up. C'mon."

Shoichi stirred for a few seconds before his eyes opened. He looked up at Spanner, a small smile slipping onto his face. "Spanner..."

"I know you're tired, but the Vongola wants to speak with you." The blond kissed his lover's forehead gently at these words. "He's waiting out in the living room."

Shoichi nodded. He climbed out of Spanner's hold and moved out of the room, going to talk to Tsuna. Spanner watched him go before he approached the bed. He pulled the blankets back, making enough room for the two to climb into the bed, and then he waited for his lover to come back.

Spanner hated sleeping by himself; he never seemed to be as rested as he was when he slept with Shoichi in his arms. Even the nights they would spend making love were better than when being alone, and he had become so used to sleeping with the older male by his side, he almost dreaded when the redheadhead didn't sleep.

It didn't seem to take long for Shoichi to come back into the bedroom and change into his pyjamas, and soon enough the older male was curled up against the blond's chest, tucked securely in strong arms.

"Sleeping tonight, are we?" Spanner ran a gentle hand through red locks, pulling his lover close. He grinned when Shoichi nodded, feeling at peace once again. "Can I tell you something important first, or should it wait until morning?"

"You can tell me now." Shoichi pressed closer, looking up so that he could see Spanner's face. "Is something bothering you?"

"A little. Sho, I'm just feeling a bit conflicted at the moment. I've been feeling interest in someone lately, but I'm not sure about what I should do. I thought I should talk to you about it."

Shoichi frowned as his stomach suddenly started to ache. He moaned softly as he moved a hand to rub it, hiding his face from his lover. "...Are you... going to break up with me...?"

"Never, Sho," Spanner promised. "I love _you_. I don't want anyone else – it's probably nothing, but I thought I should talk about it with you."

"...I love you, Spanner... Please don't cheat on me... At least... At least _tell _me if anything happens between you two... I won't... be angry or anything... I just don't want to _lose _you."

"You won't," the blond promised. "I'll talk to you about it. Thank you for understanding."

"Thank _you _for telling me..." Shoichi buried his face in Spanner's neck, his fingers ghosting over the calloused flesh of the younger's hand. "Let's go to sleep now... We'll talk more about it tomorrow over breakfast."

"I love you, Sho." Leaning down, Spanner pressed a soft kiss against the redhead's ear. "Goodnight."

There was no reply as Shoichi was already fast asleep, exhausted from having overworked himself again.

_**~~XX~~**_

Yamamoto wondered whether Fran would talk to him today or not; like his showers, the boy had been avoiding every session with his therapist, and on the occasion Yamamoto had found him and tried to initiate therapy, Fran would merely remain silent and tremble as he looked anywhere but at the Japanese male.

Today, it seemed that Fran had either forgotten about his appointment, or hadn't been in the mood to try and hide as he was found in his own bedroom with Mukuro sitting on the floor beside him. Mukuro must have taken a deck of cards from the activity room as the adult seemed to be teaching his charge magic tricks.

"Do you want your session, Fran?" Yamamoto asked, knowing he could always give it to someone else otherwise. He sighed as Fran remained silent, no indication the younger had heard him. He instead moved closer so that he was kneeling by the boy's side, putting on his best smile. "If you'd rather, we can go into town and talk over a coffee."

"That _does _sound good," Mukuro agreed. "However, I'm afraid little one isn't much of a coffee person; he'd rather a hot chocolate with marshmallows."

"We can do that," the therapist promised. "Does it sound good to you, Fran? Maybe even if we just sit there? It'll be nice to go outside for a while, wouldn't it?"

"..." It was only at these words did teal eyes slowly focus on Yamamoto. When he spoke, it was in a whisper only just audible. "...I have... no money..."

"That doesn't matter," the older male promised. "I'll pay. Do you want it?"

Fran was hesitant to nod; he was so tired of the same white walls all day every day, he wanted to get out for a bit. "...Master... can come...?"

"If he wants to." Yamamoto smiled as Mukuro nodded, knowing he should have expected as much; just like every other patient here, Mukuro, too, hated being confined to the halls. "Alright. You guys just go wait by the reception area while I go fill out the paperwork, okay? I won't be too long. We've still got a few hours before my next appointment."

Mukuro nodded again as he grabbed Fran's hand. He helped the boy to his feet, and the two left the room.

While the blue-haired male found it hard to trust people, he knew Yamamoto was one of the few genuine people in this building, and made the _very _small list of ones he didn't mind.

_**~~XX~~**_

Yamamoto wasn't surprised when Fran clung to Mukuro, hiding behind the man whenever people passed by too close to him, and it upset him to know that Fran was so scared of people, the slightest accidental touch made him cry.

The three were standing by the counter of a coffee shop, waiting to be served. It was a tad crowded, and Yamamoto could see how stressed Fran was becoming.

Leaning down, the psychologist placed his hands on his knees as he smiled at his patient, only wanting the younger to be okay. "What do you want, Fran? Tell me what you want so you can go and sit down, okay?"

Fran's lips quivered as he looked up to the menu board. It took a minute for him to decide, but he eventually whispered, "...M-milkshake..."

"Chocolate?" The dark-haired male confirmed. He smiled when Fran nodded, turning his attention to Mukuro. "What about you?"

"A tea will do wonders for me, thank you." Mukuro then took Fran out of the building, sitting him by one of the tables tucked away from everyone else.

"Master..." Fran wrapped his arms around his small body as he looked up at the man. He shivered, feeling a chill go through his body. "...Master, I'm cold..."

Without a word, Mukuro shrugged his jacket from his body. He wrapped it around the trembling one, not too bothered about the cold. "Is that better?"

Fran pulled the jacket tighter around him as he nodded. "T-thank you, Master..."

Yamamoto came to their sides a few minutes later. He placed his patients' respective drinks before them as he sat in between the two males at the round table. He himself had a chocolate milkshake, and he looked very content to be here.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Fran?" Yamamoto asked as he twirled the straw in his drink. He wasn't discouraged when Fran remained silent, knowing that some patients required more time than others before they opened up. "It looks like it's going to storm, doesn't it?"

"Little one, are you going to thank him for your drink?" Mukuro's left hand was on the table as he cupped his drink with his right one. He didn't react as a tiny hand came to rest on top of his, instead remaining patient.

"Thanks..." Fran whispered. He put his lips over the straw warily, his heart racing as he tried to remain calm; he was just so scared to be here with so many other people, he wished he had stayed at the facility.

"Do you like the other patients?" Yamamoto questioned, knowing not to push too deeply into Fran's illnesses; he needed the younger to trust him first. He smiled as Fran nodded, hoping this conversation could pave the pathway to a friendship between them. "Which ones?"

"Master..." Fran whispered. "...Bel-senpai, too..."

"Belphegor?" Yamamoto was surprised to hear this; out of all the patients, Belphegor was one of the most mistreated and avoided victims. "Why so?"

"...He knows..." Fran tensed as he pushed his drink away. He shuddered as he moved closer to Mukuro, not quite knowing how to convey his thoughts. "...Hurt... He... He's..."

"He's been through the same pain you have," Yamamoto finished. He wasn't surprised when Fran nodded; it wasn't uncommon for abuse – and especially rape – victims to group together, but Belphegor... The older male was honestly a bit worried about this as Bel was unpredictable and no one ever knew what was going through his mind; the blond was capable of anything, and Fran was far too fragile to be around that kind of person. "Oh, yeah; Tsuna told me you spent the night with him when he was still in the medical ward. Is he nice to you?"

Fran nodded. "Bel-senpai... is gentle..."

Yamamoto had never heard _anyone _describe the blond with such a kind adjective before; Bel was harsh and cruel, and hadn't been known to respect _anyone _before – but then again, Bel truly had reason to hate everyone around him as none of the other patients cared for him.

"Well, I'm glad that _someone _wants to be his friend." Yamamoto smiled at the boy. "Is there anything you want us to do for you, Fran?"

Fran shook his head. He pulled Mukuro's jacket from his body and handed it back to the man, watching as the blue-haired male slipped it back onto his body. He then climbed onto Mukuro's lap, wrapping his arms tightly around the man.

While people passed by the three, none of them had reason to stop and listen in to their conversation – so when a loud, female voice called out to them, Yamamoto found himself feeling frustrated that he couldn't have a proper session with Fran no matter what he tried.

The woman in question had long blond hair, and appeared to be angry. She stomped over towards the three males, pointing an accusing finger at Mukuro.

"What is the meaning on this?!" the woman roared, her attention on Yamamoto.

"I'm sorry; can I help you?" Yamamoto frowned, noticing that Fran's trembling had increased tenfold at the stranger's approach.

"Are they faggots?!" The woman's blue eyes burned with hatred as she regarded the two males. "Scum like those two shouldn't exist! They'll burn for eternity in the depths of Hell! Pieces of shit!"

Yamamoto was shocked as he watched the woman shove at Mukuro. He hadn't expected her atrocity, but he knew he had to stop this now before Mukuro reacted.

"I've _been _to Hell several times already," Mukuro hissed. He pushed Fran from his lap as he got to his feet, towering over the woman. His hands were fists by his side, and he looked angrier than Yamamoto had seen him in _years_. "Don't you _dare_ condemn me to such a place for things I cannot help."

"Mukuro!" Yamamoto stood in between the bickering two, his hands on Mukuro's chest as he gently pushed him back. "Mukuro, calm down. Ma'am, I'm sorry, but they are my patients. You can't talk to them like that. Please leave us be."

"Faggots should be hung from the rafters!" The woman sneered. "That man... He looks like a rapist! I bet that boy on his lap is only one of the few he's raped! Filthy homosexuals are_ all _into raping little boys!"

Yamamoto was just in time to catch Mukuro as the man sprung at the intruder. The blue-haired male was snarling incomprehensible words as he struggled to break free of his therapist's arms, disgusted that someone could think he was capable of such horrors.

It took several minutes to diffuse the situation and send the woman on her way, but eventually, Yamamoto had sat Mukuro back on the chair as he calmed the man down. Mukuro was still fuming, and Yamamoto was sure the older male wouldn't completely get over it for a few hours at least – the things that had been said were disgusting, and made even the psychologist distressed.

"I can't believe she said I'd rape _Fran_..." Mukuro blinked at his own words before he looked around, frowning. "Little one...? ...Fran...?"

Yamamoto bit his lip as he, too, realised that, somewhere in the ruckus, Fran had disappeared.

_**~~XX~~**_

After the Varia Wing had been informed of Fran's disappearance, all of them – minus Leviathan, who truly cared about nothing but Xanxus – were distraught; Fran was young, broken, and in a way, he had grown on the adults as someone they wanted to protect.

While Squalo, Xanxus and Lussuria sat in the flamboyant man's room, discussing what had happened, Mammon had visited Bel. She knew Tsuna had already spoken to the blond about it, but she was genuinely intrigued as to what her friend thought about the situation.

"Unngh... Mammy~ Shishi~" Bel lifted his head from the bed as he sent a tired grin to the female. He giggled again at her approach. "Ushishishi~ Mammy, has the little froggy been found yet~?"

"Not yet, Bel." Mammon pulled up the chair. She sat by the bed as she reached out, smoothing back blond bangs. "Why?"

"What does Mammy think happened to him~?" Bel had started laughing before he suddenly froze, his mouth twisting into a grimace as a snarl escaped his lips. "Shut up!"

Mammon ignored the unprovoked outburst, knowing it was the voices in his head Belphegor was addressing. "I don't know, Bel."

The man started twisting in his restraints before he let out a loud scream, shouting obscenities to an unseen figure in the corner of the room. Mammon was undisturbed by this, having seen similar behaviour in her cousin when they were younger – with the abuse Mukuro had suffered, it wasn't surprising for the male to have ran away from home to his aunt and uncle's house, seeking shelter, and it was almost always Mammon who looked after him during his outbursts.

"Bel." Mammon was calm as she waited out the psychosis. "I don't see anyone there."

"They're _there_, Mammy!" Bel shouted again. "They're _right there!_ I want them to _go!_"

"I'm sure you do, Bel, but I do not see anyone there."

Bel snarled again as he struggled. He was vaguely aware of Mammon stroking his hair again, and despite his stress at his unwelcome guests, he soon relaxed; his 'visitors' didn't do much other than stand in the corner and watch him – he would much rather focus on Mammon and her comfort.

"Is anyone looking for the frog?" Bel panted softly, having exhausted himself from shouting.

Mammon nodded. "The staff are taking turns searching for him."

"Hmph... Mammy... The prince doesn't want _his _froggy to be missing anymore... The prince likes it when Froggy sleeps by him..."

"They'll find him," Mammon promised. She sat up, pressing her lips against Bel's.

Bel kissed back before he pulled away. He grinned before he replied. "Well, when the froggy _is _found, the prince will give him a handjob."

"Why a handjob, Bel?"

"Because princes are above blowjobs, and Froggy must have ran away because he was scared. Besides... The prince kind of likes Froggy..."

Mammon smiled as she nodded. She couldn't be entirely sure, but she had a feeling the reason Belphegor had taken such a liking to Fran was because the boy was someone the blond felt he could relate to – no one else in the facility had been through what Bel and Fran had, so it was only natural the two were distant from most everyone around them, drawn together instead.

Mammon almost found the resulting silence peaceful until it was again broken by Bel's screams. She could never blame him, though; she couldn't even _fathom _what went through his head and how it must feel to suffer through what he did.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Voi, why'd the stupid brat run off in the first place?" Squalo sighed as he picked at the material of his clothing. His head was resting on Xanxus' shoulder as the two sat together on the end of Lussuria's bed.

"Takeshi-chan may have made a misjudgement about taking Fran out into town," Lussuria suggested. "Fran may have panicked and ran off when his guardians were distracted."

"No way; that brat is too observant and would have kept a fucking eagle eye on Fran." The silver-haired male shook his head. "...Do you think he's okay...?"

"It depends where he is," the oldest male said softly. "If he's... somewhere cold, and without food... Poor dear already has an eating disorder..."

"Shit, now that you've mentioned it, I've never seen him eat before... Xanxus, do _you _think he's okay?"

"Doubt it," the dark-haired man said without hesitation. "He'd be easy prey, and the alleys are probably _crawling _with fuckheads."

"Who said anything about alleys?" Squalo hated that his lover was being realistic about this, but he couldn't blame the other; he himself couldn't completely imagine Fran as being one-hundred per cent okay in this town full of drug addicts and creeps. "He could be out in the streets or under a bridge somewhere for all we know."

"If _you _had run off in a panic, would _you _want to be somewhere with people all around you? No. He's probably in a gutter somewhere."

"Pessimistic bastard..." Squalo muttered. "I'm going to bed; you're depressing me now."

Squalo was the first to leave the room, muttering beneath his breath. Xanxus just glared after him before he stood up, storming over to his lover and dragging him by the hair into his own room.

Lussuria just smiled as he watched the two go, hugging one of his teddies. "Young love..."


	9. Chapter 9

"Did you find him, Tenth?"

Belphegor, who had been standing by the psychiatrist within the greeneries of the facility, quickly grew bored of listening to Gokudera's phone call; he could see something moving a distance away from him, and he wondered if it was something he could kill.

Moving away from the silver-haired male, Bel licked his lips as he spotted a kitten wandering around the yard. He glanced behind him, making sure Gokudera wasn't paying any attention, before he snuck up on the unsuspecting animal.

"Well, did the police find any clues as to where he may be?" Gokudera sighed as Tsuna – on the other end of the phone line – explained that no one had found even a hint as to where Fran had gone. "Is the baseball freak going to be in trouble over this?"

"Hibari-san wasn't impressed at all," Tsuna started, "but he understands it wasn't Yamamoto's fault this happened; he's just –"

"- Oh, shit, Tenth, gotta go!" Gokudera slid his phone into his pocket as he ran towards Bel, knowing that whatever thrashing creature the blond was swinging in the air by the tail was mostly likely going to die a gruesome death any second now. "Belphegor! Put it down!"

Bel stopped swinging the screeching animal around, turning instead to frown at the younger male. "No."

"Goddamnit, Belphegor, you're hurting it!" Gokudera had always been fond of cats, and it angered him to see a kitten being treated so cruelly – he didn't care that it was his patient doing it; _no one _had the right to hurt an animal. "Put it _down!_"

"No, the prince doesn't think he wants to~" Bel grinned as he started swinging the cat again.

Gokudera knew he wasn't supposed to be assaulting the patients, but if there was one thing he couldn't tolerate, it was _this_ – shoving Bel to the ground, Gokudera punched him as hard as he could in the face.

"You fucking asshole!" The silver-haired man roared before he reached out, gripping locks of golden hair. He pulled as hard as he could, yanking and twisting for good measure. "Piece of fucking shit! What the fuck is _wrong _with you?!"

Bel snarled as he tried to grab the now-fleeing kitten, ready to rip its head off in anger. With the animal out of his reach and quickly finding a hiding spot, he instead allowed himself to fight back against Gokudera, knowing that though he didn't have any weapons on him today, he would find a way to kill the taller male here and now with his bare fucking hands.

Though Bel was strong, being physically restrained to a bed every day meant he wasn't as strong as his potential; it was easy for Gokudera to overpower him, and despite the bloodlust that was quickly driving the blond into further insanity, Gokudera managed to sedate him before any serious damage was caused by the older male's hands.

Getting off the weaker man, Gokudera instead followed the kitten over to the bush it had hidden in. He was careful as he parted the bush, understanding when the animal hissed and spat at him, but he didn't let that bother him; he needed to get it out of the gardens before another patient found it – there were few people here who could torture it worse than Bel could, but that didn't matter to Gokudera; he just wanted it to safe.

"How did you get in here?" Gokudera asked as he nursed the shaking kitten against his chest. "It's not a good place for you to be."

The kitten's fur was white, a few brown and orange patches here and there. It wasn't the fluffiest kitten Gokudera had seen, but it _did _have a fairly long tail and sharp claws, as demonstrated by the scratches on the young man's hands.

"I should get you into my office before I lose you." Gokudera glanced over to Bel, finding the man still sprawled out on the grass, his chest rising and falling haphazardly. "Hmm... I wonder if that baseball freak would let me keep you... It's _his _house, too, so I guess I should ask him before I take you home."

"...A... Asshole..." Bel called out, tired from the sedation. He just frowned as the other walked past him, heading back into the building. He flinched as a raindrop fell on his face, and he hissed to himself; why the _fuck _had he just been ignored and left out here in the cold for a fucking _pest_?

_**~~XX~~**_

"Found him?" Shoichi frowned when Tsuna shook his head. Hibari was by the brunet's side, onyx eyes closed as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Is there anywhere we haven't searched yet?"

"I don't know where the police have looked, but I don't think we've looked on the east side of town yet, have we?" Tsuna frowned as he looked at his watch. "...Shoichi, I need to get back; I'm meant to have a session with Xanxus."

Shoichi's jaw dropped slightly at the realisation that he, too, was supposed to be with Rasiel. "Oh, no..."

"You two go back and do your jobs," Hibari demanded. "I'll bring out the other three herbivores."

Tsuna nodded as he and Shoichi left the area, each heading to their respective vehicles. Hibari took a seat by the bus bay as he sent out a text to Gokudera, Yamamoto and Spanner, demanding for them to replace Tsuna and Shoichi and get here as fast as they could.

Hibari wasn't impressed at all with Yamamoto for losing Fran, or the boy for having ran off; once this was over and dealt with, he would certainly bite the green herbivore to death, and perhaps even the baseball herbivore as well for good measure.

_**~~XX~~**_

"It's a bit quiet in there, don't you think?"

"He _could _be sleeping, trash."

"Yeah, but even when he's sleeping, he's still keeping us up..."

"Maybe he just needed a bit more exercise, so Hayato-chan let him wander a bit more."

"Voi, you stupid fag, that's a bit difficult when the brat's in his fucking office!"

"Now, now, Squal-chan, no need to get upset; I'm sure Bel-chan's fine~"

"Unless the trash finally killed him."

"Xanxus! Don't talk about him like that!"

"What are you guys doing?"

The three eldest Varia patients turned around at Tsuna's approach. They were crowded by Bel's bedroom, and while Squalo and Xanxus just looked confused, Lussuria was looking as happy as ever.

"We're just wondering why Bel-chan's so quiet, today~ Is he feeling okay?"

"I don't know; I haven't been here." Tsuna fished his key ring from his pocket, finding the one for Bel's bedroom. However, he was a tad worried to find that the blond's door was already unlocked, and said room was empty – Bel's exercise routine was scheduled to finish two hours ago, so why had Bel not been turned to his room...? "Did Gokudera-kun bring him back...?"

"I don't think so," Lussuria explained. "I don't recall hearing Bel-chan screaming at anyone or Gokudera shouting at him."

"I passed Gokudera-kun in the halls..." Tsuna bit his lip before a thought struck him; either Bel had escaped again, or Gokudera had completely given up on the man. If that were the case... "Stay here; I'll go look for him."

While the brunet left, the three patients instead moved in to Xanxus' room. While Squalo sat in his lover's lap, strong arms wrapped around him, Lussuria sat on the chair near the bed.

"Do you think they found Frannie?" Lussuria asked.

"If they did, I'm sure the trash would have said something." Squalo leant back, resting his head against Xanxus' shoulder. He felt safe in the man's arms, knowing that the dark-haired man would never let anything happen to him.

Lussuria just sighed, wishing there was something he could do to help.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Belphegor!"

Bel moaned softly as he felt hands on his body. He was cold, very cold, and he didn't feel right; he felt sick, but not the kind of sick he knew was physical – for the first time in his life, he questioned if his sickness truly _was _mental as everyone always told him. He didn't understand why Gokudera had just left him out here in the rain, or why the younger had chosen a filthy _cat _over him – all he knew was that he truly hadn't been doing anything wrong by hurting that cat, so there was no need for Gokduera to react the way he had.

Belphegor had always known Gokudera had hated him, but part of him _trusted _the younger to not hurt him – and now, that trust had been broken, and it _hurt_.

"Belphegor, what... What are you doing out here...?" Tsuna pulled the older male into his arms, knowing that Bel was as limp as he was because he had been sedated – but why would Gokudera just leave him here...? "Belphegor... You're soaking wet! Come on... Let's go back to my office... I'll get you warmed up..."

Bel hissed as he was pulled into the brunet's arms, hating to be touched like this, but he was feeling too weak to do much about it; he just wanted to sleep, and hopefully he'd get a break from the voices that always whispered to him.

Tsuna wasn't entirely sure of why Belphegor was out here like this, but he knew he was going to have a long talk with Gokudera once the older male came back from the scouting mission.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Take them off."

Tsuna glanced over at the blond on the couch before he sighed. "Belphegor, you know I can't... I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Take them _off_!" Bel shouted. He kicked his feet angrily against the arm of the couch, trying to pull his wrists free of the restraints that kept them tied together.

Tsuna was already struggling to concentrate on his paperwork, and Bel wasn't making it any easier. Maybe he could...

"Belphegor."

Bel stopped thrashing as he lifted his head to look at Tsuna. He was quiet, waiting for the younger to speak.

"I'll free your hands if you calm down, but I can't take them off your feet. I'm sorry." Tsuna stood up, waiting by his desk for the man's answer.

"..." Bel snorted before he shrugged, looking away. He lifted his hands into the air, knowing Tsuna would do as suggested. "Princes aren't meant to be treated this way, you know..."

"I know," Tsuna promised. "I don't like having to treat you like this either, Belphegor."

It was quiet as the brunet undid the restraints, neither of them needing to speak. Bel just continued to shiver, his body temperature low after having been left out in the rain for so long. He sneezed every now and then, ragged coughs tearing his throat open, but the blond absolutely _refused _to go back to his room or the medical ward.

"Are you sure you don't want a blanket?" Tsuna offered. "It'll help you warm back up; I can't turn the heaters up any more than they already are."

"He says he'll snuff the prince if Tuna-Fish gives the prince one..." Bel looked away, frowning at his own words.

"Who said that?" Tsuna already knew the answer.

"The man who follows me everywhere. He says he hates the prince and wants to kill him."

"Is he here now?" This wasn't a new topic to come up between them; it had been one of the very first things Bel had spoken about during his arrival – the only issue was, even after nearly twenty years of therapy and medication, Belphegor couldn't escape his sickness.

Bel nodded. "He's telling me that Hayato-kun hates me, and wanted me to die. He says that's why Hayato-kun left me out there..."

"To be honest with you, I don't know _why _Gokudera-kun left you out there, but I can assure you it wasn't because he wanted you to _die, _Belphegor." Tsuna lifted a hand to pat at blond locks. He pulled away when he was snarled at, knowing not to upset Bel. "As for this man, I'm afraid I cannot see or hear him."

"He tells the prince things," Bel whispered. "He tells the prince about how everyone... everyone thinks that I... am ugly and stupid, and that everyone wants to kill me... And that I deserved everything Jill and my parents did to me..."

"No one thinks that about you, Belphegor, and you _certainly _didn't deserve the things you've been through," the brunet soothed. "We only want to _help _you; that's all."

"I don't _need _help," Bel spat. "There's _nothing _wrong with me! I don't know why you guys always talk about me as if I'm some fucking victim of cancer or some shit – there's _nothing _wrong with me and I _don't _need help!"

Tsuna knew that sometimes it was easier to agree with Bel instead of getting him riled up. "Okay, Belphegor. I apologise on all of our behalves for treating you that way. Are you sure you don't want a blanket? I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I don't need a fucking blanket, either!" Bel rolled onto his side, his back to Tsuna. "I just want to sleep..."

"Rest well, then."

Bel didn't reply; he simply closed his eyes, the last thought running through his mind, _I bet the little froggy could use a blanket, though... Yeah, the little froggy would _definitely _need a blanket..._

_**~~XX~~**_

"No luck?"

Yamamoto and Gokudera stood out the front of Tsuna's office. They shook their heads, a sad look in Yamamoto's eyes.

"I have no idea where he could be..." Yamamoto looked at his feet, sighing. "...I... I feel like this is my fault..."

"It's not your fault," Tsuna promised. "You have a patient about to relapse; I wouldn't expect you to take notice of Fran... Mukuro-san feels just as bad as you; he thinks it's his fault because he got angry."

"Maybe I should go talk to him and make sure he's okay." The dark-haired male bit his lip at the idea, knowing how fond Mukuro was of the teal-haired boy.

"Yamamoto, you can go and have a rest; I'll get Shoichi to fill in for you." The brunet smiled, knowing his friend was in no state to carry patients' burdens at the moment. "Ah, but Gokudera-kun, I do have to talk to you..."

The silver-haired male instinctively tensed before he nodded, seemingly accepting what he had thought was his fate. He said a soft goodbye to Yamamoto before he stepped into the office, only a tad surprised to find Belphegor curled up on the couch.

"Can you explain why Belphegor was left out in the rain?" Tsuna didn't sound angry; just confused and a bit disappointed.

"Tenth, he was torturing a kitten!" Gokudera's green eyes widened as he raised his hands in defence. "I tried getting it off him and he attacked _me _instead! I was going to come back for him!"

"He was out there for almost _three _hours before you left to look for Fran," Tsuna scolded lightly. "I didn't even know he wasn't in his room until I found Xanxus and the other two outside his door. What if he comes down with pneumonia, or had hypothermia before I found him?"

"But... I was looking after a kitten..." Gokudera knew he was in the wrong, and he hated when his best friend had to scold him, but he could accept what he had done and the consequent punishment. "...I'm sorry, Tenth... It won't happen again..."

"He thinks you hate him, and that you wanted him to die," Tsuna explained in a softer tone. "He's sleeping now, but when he's in a clear state, please explain to him that _wasn't _the case."

"Yes, Tenth..." Gokudera bowed his head in apology.

"Now, about that kitten..." Tsuna's smile became more sincere now, knowing how much his friend liked cats. "Are you going to keep it?"

"Ah, I'm hoping to, but Yamamoto's dog..." Gokudera scratched his cheek, a bashful smile crossing his face. "I named him Uri, Tenth."

Tsuna chuckled before he nodded. "I'm sure Yamamoto will understand you want to keep Uri. You'd better go and do whatever it is you need; I'm going to stay the night here and keep an eye on Belphegor in case he comes down with something serious."

"Yes, Tenth. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gokudera-kun."

Tsuna watched as his friend left the office before he returned to his desk, wondering how things would be tomorrow; he could only hope that amongst Bel being okay, Fran would also be found safe and sound.


	10. Chapter 10

**I feel as if I have failed this chapter. I know what I wanted to convey, but no matter how much time I spent reading over it and changing things, it doesn't feel the way I wanted it to be. Oh, well. I guess you guys will get the gist anyway, and that's the important thing. **

Yamamoto didn't feel comfortable wandering the alleys at night; anyone could be back here, and if something happened...

"Gotta find Fran..." Yamamoto encouraged himself, knowing he had to do this; it had been nearly two weeks since Fran had gone missing, and with the boy's mental health as it was, things weren't looking good at all. "C'mon... Fran, where are you...?"

It was near-silent in the alleys, the only sounds audible Yamamoto's breathing and the heavy rain. It was cold and wet, and the therapist was certain he was going to come out of this with a cold – but imagine what _Fran _would come out of this with...

"Have to find him..."

Yamamoto was extra alert, aware of the danger he was putting himself in by being here – but when a familiar whimper caught his ears, the dark-haired male hurried forward.

"Fran...?" Yamamoto was shocked to find the teal-haired boy lying in a deep puddle of water. His clothing was askew, and there were hints of blood and possibly semen in his hair, but it was the syringes that lay scattered around his scrawny body that _really _horrified the older male – who knew _what _was in them, or what diseases they carried. "Fran!"

Fran screamed as Yamamoto approached him, but it seemed he wasn't coherent enough to get away on his own; he merely twitched where he laid, tears falling down his cheeks as he stared at Yamamoto with terror in his eyes. Harsh pants and moans escaped parted lips, and the older male could only imagine why.

"Fran, what happened?!" Yamamoto knelt by the younger male. He reached out, knowing now wasn't the time to keep his hands to himself; he had to get Fran out of here, and _now_. "Fran, please tell me."

Fran just continued to scream as he was picked up from the ground. He thrashed weakly in the dark-haired male's arms, tears slipping down pale cheeks as he cried. Yamamoto didn't let this bother him; he instead pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the police officers working the case, letting them know the location Fran had been found in – those syringes, and the _horror _Fran was in surely meant someone had hurt him.

"I'm going to get you to the hospital, Fran," Yamamoto promised once he had ended the phone call. "We're going to go to the hospital and they'll fix you up; I promise."

Fran didn't seem to hear any of Yamamoto's words; he instead sobbed, too tired to deal with this; he wanted to die, and he wanted to die _now_.

It wasn't until the therapist got his patient into his car did he get a proper look at Fran; the boy's clothing was torn, and in places there were white stains which the young man could recognise as semen. There was dried blood clinging to his skin, a few fresh drops falling from a cut on the boy's face, but what hurt Yamamoto the most was the fact that while Fran's pants had been lowered – clearly just enough for someone to do what they wanted with the teal-haired male – it was clear that the boy was aroused.

Yamamoto – despite how naive he could be – was able to link this together with those syringes, and it was then he realised; Fran had been sexually stimulated some time before Yamamoto got there.

Whether or not this had been occurring for just a few hours or even the entire two weeks Fran was gone, Yamamoto had no idea – but that wasn't important; what mattered was that this experience had probably shattered whatever progress the boy had been making.

The Japanese male tried to ignore the sounds Fran made and instead focus on his driving, but it was so hard to do when Fran kept staring at him with terror-stricken eyes as if he expected Yamamoto to rape him any second now.

The whimpers, gasps and moans Fran made were enough to make the older male feel as if he could throw up – he had _never _been fond of the idea of sexual stimulants, and someone using them to force someone else so much younger and weaker...

Yamamoto couldn't help but pull the car over to the side of the road. Beneath the light of the street lamp, he could see the way Fran pushed at his lap, as if the boy was trying his hardest to hide his arousal, and the sad, frightened look he donned made it all the more clear that all the hard work that had been put into Fran's treatment may now have to be started all over again.

"Do you want me to get rid of that for you...?" Yamamoto turned the car off before he turned to look at Fran. He had no _intention _of so much as making the younger uncomfortable; he just wanted Fran to be okay.

Fran pushed himself against the car door as he shook his head, tears falling harder down his cheeks. His body shook violently, his mind utter chaos.

"I don't want to hurt you, Fran," the young man promised. "It's just... I know what they did to you... It's scaring you, isn't it?"

Fran didn't reply to this; he just ducked his head as he pressed harder at his lap, wanting this torture to go away; it was as if the slightest touch of his clothing against his skin made it feel so unbearably pleasant, it was just like the touches his father gave him.

"M-master...!" Fran whimpered, wanting nothing more than to feel Mukuro's arms wrapped around him. He shuddered as a particularly strong wave of arousal washed through him, just wanting to be dead. "Master...!"

Yamamoto couldn't handle this anymore; he knew he wouldn't be able to cope with this for the rest of the drive to the hospital – he needed to do what he could to help Fran _now_.

Opening the car door, Yamamoto made his way over to the passenger side. He ignored Fran's screams as he grabbed the boy, knowing that if he could just help relieve some of the physical stress, Fran may calm down.

Sitting in the backseat, Yamamoto held Fran close to him. "Shh... It's okay, Fran. It's okay. Calm down... I'm not going to hurt you."

Fran just trembled beneath Yamamoto's touch, fearing that he was again about to be used the way everyone _else _seemed to use him. "D-don't... Please..."

"Shh..." The dark-haired male rested his hand against Fran's hip, not wanting to scare the other more than he already was. "Shh, it's okay, Fran. I'm just going to get rid of this for you, and hopefully you'll feel better."

Fran whimpered as a hand wrapped around his hard length. He sobbed, reaching up to scratch as his cuts; he needed something – _anything _– to distract him from what was happening. "Master!"

Yamamoto's touch was overwhelming, the boy's body far more sensitive than it should be. The older male was gentle, so vastly different from the cruel, harsh touches he was used to receiving – it didn't make him enjoy it any more than _those _ones, however.

"Master!" Fran wailed again, wanting the blue-haired man to come back and rescue him. "Master!"

Yamamoto stilled his hand. He smiled sadly at the boy, reaching up to cup the younger's face. "I know this is hard for you, but I promise you it can feel good for you. I understand you're scared, but I don't want you to be; I only want you to feel okay. It will feel good for you if you try and imagine I'm someone you're comfortable with."

Fran heard the man, despite his lack of acknowledgement. He sniffed as he trembled, frightened beyond belief, but when the hand around him started moving again, he couldn't help but replace the image of Yamamoto with one of Belphegor, a desperate attempt at keeping his sanity.

The boy didn't know why the idea of doing this with Bel made him feel safe – never before had this kind of thing done anything but terrify him into a wish for death. Was it because Bel had been through the same pain? Or did Fran just trust Bel to know how much this hurt, and to be kind to him?

"A-ah..." Fran's fearful expression melted from his face now, replaced by one of indifference. He looked blank as he raised a bloodied hand to his mouth, trying to hide his whimper of pleasure. It wasn't that Fran _wanted _this to feel good; it was simply that his body was hypersensitive right now, and no matter how he was feeling, he couldn't deny that this was pleasurable.

Yamamoto nodded, knowing Fran was starting to cooperate.

The therapist rubbed his thumb against Fran's tip, drawing another whimper from the boy. Fran was still scared, tears slipping down his cheeks, but he wasn't protesting anymore – not when he was soothing himself with the idea of Bel being the one to touch him like this.

Within seconds, Fran exploded all over his therapist's hand, but Yamamoto knew this wasn't enough for the boy; Fran was still hard, and it seemed that the younger was embarrassed by this as Fran started to cry again, his body tensing as he tried to pull away.

"It's okay..." Yamamoto pulled the younger onto his lap before he reached over and opened the storage compartment in between the two front seats. He pulled out a small box of condoms, kept there for whenever he and Gokudera needed to pull over and have some time to themselves. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

Fran shivered and gasped, his body feeling as if it were on fire. He was vaguely aware of the sounds of a packet opening, and though he panicked seconds later as he felt something rub against his abused entrance, it took just a bit more reassurance from whom he was seeing at Belphegor to relax him.

"It's okay," Yamamoto whispered as he threaded long digits through teal locks. "It's okay. Shh... Nice and easy..."

"Ah... A-ahh...!" Fran cried out as he was entered – if there was one thing years of abuse had taught him, it was that the only reason it didn't feel as if he was being torn in two was because of the abuse earlier; he was somewhat looser than usual, blood lubricating the entrance.

"Shh..." Yamamoto held himself still for a few seconds, letting Fran adjust to his size; he had no idea what Fran was used to, but the thought that such a young boy had lost his virginity and been with countless people since he was little was sickening, almost enough for him to lose all sexual interest. "...Gokudera..."

Fran whimpered as he felt the man begin to move once more. He shifted his hips, allowing the shaft to slide easier inside of him. He gasped and panted, the touches making his trembling worse than it had been in a while thanks to the effects of whatever he had been drugged with.

"B-bel-senpai..." Fran heard himself whispering, tensing as a spot inside of him was struck that sent waves of pleasure through his tiny body. "Bel...senpai..."

"That's it..." Yamamoto caressed teal hair gently, never increasing the tempo; he was a gentle lover, and he rarely did anything more than a slow pace. "Yeah, just like that..."

"Bel..." Fran scrunched his nose up as he whimpered, feeling a coil in his stomach snap. "S-senpai..."

"Gokudera..."

Fran cried out as he felt himself hitting his climax. He spurted his seed all over their stomachs, his muscle contractions milking Yamamoto to a release as well.

Yamamoto was relaxed as he held the boy on his lap; he was just glad that Fran seemed to have calmed down enough to stop panicking, even if he continued to tremble and cry.

"How about you have a sleep?" Yamamoto suggested. He pulled the condom from his shaft before he wrapped it back in its packet, knowing better than to throw it out of the window; he would much rather wait until he found a bin than throw it somewhere little kids could find it.

Fran nodded, just glad that his physical arousal had finally disappeared; he didn't know how much more of that he could handle. The boy was placid as he was wrapped in Yamamoto's jacket and returned to the front passenger seat and, within seconds of the car starting back up, was fast asleep.

Yamamoto – now that his head was clear – wondered if he had done the right thing; what if that condom had broken and he had contaminated the evidence? What if Fran had picked up an STD that the condom would fail to prevent? But worst of all, how was he going to explain this to Gokudera, who wasn't an understanding person by nature...?

The dark-haired man sighed as he shook his head, knowing that his caring personality had just gotten him into something he _knew _he'd have to talk to Gokudera about.

_**~~XX~~**_

Yamamoto knew their local hospital was generally useless when it came to the facility's patients, but the young man had honestly thought that they may make an honest exception for _Fran _– only to stand there and argue as they refused to so much as _test_ the boy for anything he may have picked up.

It took quite a while, but after finally convincing the nurses to at least test him, Yamamoto had taken Fran back to his home, knowing there was no use taking him to the facility at four in the morning where he would probably scare himself silly.

Fran was awake and silent as he listened to the keys jingle as his therapist unlocked the front door. He was being carried into the house, and as much as he wanted to protest, he couldn't find the strength; after screaming himself hoarse at the nurses, he had been sedated rather quickly, and still felt the effects.

"Oops."

Fran moved tired eyes to Yamamoto's face at the man's voice.

"Sorry, Jiro; I didn't see you there."

Fran whimpered as he heard something move in front of them, only to be soothed by Yamamoto's voice.

"It's okay," the Japanese male reassured. "It's just my dog; I almost stepped on him."

Fran nodded, his head resting against a strong chest. He moaned softly as the light was switched on, his head burning from the sudden brightness.

"Sorry," Yamamoto apologised. He took Fran down the hallway and turned into the second room on the right. He didn't flick the light in this room on, but he _did _speak to someone else. "Gokudera? Are you awake?"

Gokudera stirred before he sat up in the large bed pushed against the middle of the wall. He rubbed at his eyes before he nodded, his voice slurred. "Wha' is't...?"

"I found Fran," the younger male explained. "He's... Well, I'll tell you in the morning. Is it okay if he sleeps with us?"

"Fuck no..." Gokudera seemed a tad more alert at this question, his usual uncaring tone in his voice. "Put him in the spare room or somethin'..."

"Gokudera..."

The silver-haired male just lay back down, pulling his kitten closer to him as he did so. It was clear he wasn't in the mood to carry this conversation, so Yamamoto did as he was told.

"I'm going to put you in the spare bedroom for now, okay?" Yamamoto said softly as he moved into the room across from their own. "You'll be safe here; no one's going to hurt you."

Fran just watched with wary eyes. He flinched as he was brought closer to the single bed resting against the far wall, starting to tremble as he realised he was expected to lay on that thing – if he _was _placed on it, he would be, without a doubt, raped once again.

"N-no..." Fran made an agitated noise as he tried to press closer to Yamamoto, turning his head away from the bed. "Don't... Don't make me..."

"Shh..." Yamamoto understood, and he kicked himself for having forgotten about Fran's phobia of beds. He instead shifted the younger into one arm as he pulled the blankets from the bed, spreading them out on the floor. He held Fran until the pillows were down as well, letting him go only once the makeshift bed was ready. "Do you want my dog to spend the night with you? He won't let anyone hurt you."

Fran nodded; he had never known the comfort of an animal before, but he was sure he would like it more than a person's presence – people were evil, and it was hard to find someone who wasn't.

"Jiro!" Yamamoto moved back to the bedroom door as he called again for his dog. He grinned when the fluffy brown dog entered the room, watching as Jiro approached the boy on the floor. "He'll sleep next to you, Fran; he's getting old, so try not to get him excited, okay?"

Fran nodded. He raised a shaking hand, guiding his fingers through the silky fur. He flinched as a hot tongue licked at his hand, but he soon relaxed; it wasn't the same as to what he was used to, and this he would much rather prefer.

Yamamoto watched the two for a while longer before he left the room, returning to his own bedroom. He carefully shifted Uri so the kitten wasn't lying between them, putting the animal instead on the other side of Gokudera.

"Gokudera..." Yamamoto pulled his lover close to him as he caressed silver strands. "Gokudera, I love you. ...I'm sorry..."

Gokudera didn't reply; he was once again fast asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

"Mornin', Gokudera." Yamamoto found his lover in the kitchen the next morning, the silver-haired male standing by the stove as he worked on breakfast. He embraced the smaller man tightly as he nuzzled a warm neck in a loving manner, knowing he still had to talk things out with Gokudera, but not knowing how – he'd give it a bit and hope he would know what to say, but he had no intention of keeping it from his lover for longer than he had to.

"Tch..." Gokudera shrugged the taller male off, his green eyes focused on the pancakes he was cooking. "Get off me, baseball idiot; your sleeve will catch fire, stupid."

Yamamoto's smile was as gentle as ever as he did as requested, stepping back to give the weaker male room. "Are you almost finished cooking?"

"Nearly. Aren't you going to wake that brat up and get him ready?"

Checking his watch, Yamamoto's smile never faltered. "We still have a while before our shifts start; he can have a shower after he eats something. Do you think you can wash his clothing for him?"

"I'm not a fucking miracle worker!" Gokudera snapped. "Jesus! What's he supposed to wear in the meantime?!"

Gokudera had never been a morning person, so Yamamoto didn't take his attitude personally; he instead just sheepishly scratched at his cheek as he laughed, his eyes as soft as usual. "He can wear something of mine until his own dries, Gokudera."

"He's not even supposed to _be _here!" Gokudera growled as he violently stabbed one of the pancakes out of the saucer. "Do you _know _how much trouble you'll be in if_ Hibari _finds out?!"

"Ah, but Tsuna wouldn't mind; he'd say I did the right thing – I tried to take him to the hospital, but they wouldn't accept him. I wasn't going to take him back there in the middle of the night when it's dark and everyone's asleep; he would have been so scared."

The silver-haired male sighed. "You're too soft, you idiot..."

Yamamoto laughed. "Everyone says that. I'm going to go wake him up now. I'll be back, Gokudera."

"Tch... Idiot..." Gokudera rolled his eyes as his lover's footsteps faded away in the background. "You're lucky I love you..."

_**~~XX~~**_

Fran – surprisingly, to Gokudera – was well-behaved during breakfast. He sat quietly in his chair, nibbling at his pancakes slowly as he listened to the two adults converse. He didn't speak or look at them, but he complied when Yamamoto kindly asked him to _try _and eat a little faster.

It was having a shower that was the main issue; back at the facility, the boy had Mukuro to keep him comfortable, but here he was alone and forced to let Yamamoto into the bathroom because of the razors and whatnot the adults owned.

It hadn't been easy coaxing the boy out of his clothes, taking them from the room and into the laundry, and then getting him under the warm flow of water – but there was no _way _Yamamoto was taking him back to the facility covered in blood and semen where everyone would undoubtedly see.

To Yamamoto's relief, Fran had been slightly more accepting of having a shower now that there was a bit of heat to it. He had his back to the man as he let the water slide down his skin, turning his head every now and then to make sure Yamamoto stayed by the door.

The man was patient as he sat on a stool he had found stored away, looking out of the window as he hummed to himself. He was thinking about his last baseball match, distracting himself with the idea that, if he were lucky, he could convince Gokudera to come out to the baseball nets with him after their shifts today.

"Takeshi..."

Dark eyes blinked as they looked at Fran; this was the first time the boy had willingly spoken to a staff member since his arrival at the facility. "Yes?"

"..." Fran bit his lip as he looked away, seemingly uncomfortable with this situation. "...I... need shampoo..."

"Ah." Yamamoto smiled as he moved to the cabinet propped up on the wall opposite the shower. He grabbed the bottle of shampoo Gokudera had bought the previous day, having used the last of the other bottle last night. "There you go; it'll make your hair feel nice and soft."

"...Master... says my hair is good when it's clean..." Fran kept his back to the man as he accepted the bottle, revealing his scarred flesh to the Japanese male.

"It's much cleaner," Yamamoto agreed. "Do you want some conditioner, too?"

"Please..."

Yamamoto handed over the yellow bottle before he took his spot back on the stool. He was calm as he waited patiently for Fran to finish his shower, and once he heard the taps turn off slowly, he grabbed the towel hanging on the rack next to him.

"Here's a towel." The older male wrapped the thin material around Fran's shoulders once the smaller one got out. "If you go back to the spare room, I'll have some clothes I can lend you until yours are ready. It won't take long now."

Fran nodded. He walked slowly back to the spare bedroom, curling up in a corner as he waited for the man to come back.

Within minutes, Yamamoto had returned and helped the boy redress.

"Hey, Fran?" Yamamoto's smile dropped now, and he couldn't find the strength to try and bring it back when emotionless eyes fixed on him. "About last night... I, uh... I won't do it again, okay?"

Fran shrugged. He looked away as he spoke, in a voice laced with emotional pain. "Everyone _else _does it... I guess it's all I'm good for... I don't care anymore... You can do it again if you wish... You were gentler than everyone else... I won't fight it anymore..."

"Fran, that's not the way to look at it." Yamamoto would love to hug the boy, but he knew better; he instead kept his hands to himself, just trying to soothe the boy with words, but it seemed Fran didn't _want _to be soothed – not when he was feeling so bad.

"Why not...?" Fran whispered, his eyes filling with tears. "It's all I know, Takeshi... I wouldn't know what to do _without _it... That's why... I want to die so much... I don't want it, but... I need it..."

Fran's back slid down the wall, his knees pulling up to his chest. He buried his face against them as he rocked back and forth, crying just as hard as he had last night. Yamamoto stayed with him, knowing that sometimes, words didn't need to be spoken for someone to know they weren't alone.

_**~~XX~~**_

Mealtimes at the facility were often difficult and full of stress for the staff member on duty; the patients fought amongst themselves so often, there had been consideration on just delivering meals to the patients' rooms instead.

Today, it seemed that the main ruckus was caused by Squalo and Xanxus – as it usually was.

"Fuck off, trash!"

Both Hibari and Dino glanced up from the table they had been sitting at, discussing something quietly. While the skylark remained where he was silently, Dino made his way over to the two, knowing full-well that they were violent and could potentially hurt the other if not stopped now.

"Squalo, what's going on?" Dino made his way over to his friend's side, putting a warm hand on a quivering shoulder. He didn't flinch when dark eyes fixed on him; he instead frowned as he noticed the well-hidden look of sadness and desperation he had known in Squalo for years.

"It doesn't matter..." Squalo growled out through grinding teeth. He raised a shaking hand, pointing accusingly at Xanxus. "It's _his _fault... He doesn't..."

Xanxus stood up now, moving to grab Squalo by the shoulders and force him to his feet. He put his weight forward as he shoved the younger male along until he had slammed Squalo into the wall. He leant in close, shrugging off the ones trying to pull him away. He hissed into Squalo's ear, "You think a mafia boss would ever love someone like _you? _You're nothing but a tool to complete my organisation."

Squalo remained quiet at these words, his gaze dropping to the ground. He waited until strong hands released him before he ran from the room, ignoring Dino's calls for him to wait.

"What did you say to him, Xanxus?" Dino was gentle, caring person by nature, but he cared deeply for Squalo, and he wouldn't let _anyone _hurt the younger male.

"He thinks I love him." Xanxus scoffed, as if the thought amused him. "He's just a pawn; nothing more, nothing less."

Dino didn't reply to this; he instead turned around and chased after Squalo, almost running into Yamamoto who was just entering the room. After throwing a quick apology over his shoulder, Dino continued on, worried greatly about Squalo.

Yamamoto watched the older male leave before he looked down at the boy in his arms, shrugging. He adjusted the blanket he had wrapped Fran in before leaving the house, smiling down at him. "It's alright, Fran; it was just an accident."

Hibari hadn't moved from his spot at the table, his dark eyes instead watching Xanxus closely. He only focused on Yamamoto once the taller male was standing by his side, a thoughtful look on his face.

"You found the herbivore?" Hibari asked quietly. "Where was he?"

"In an alleyway." Yamamoto run a hand through teal hair before he explained things. "He was, uh... _Assaulted, _and the hospital wouldn't help. I kept him at my home overnight and observed him."

Hibari nodded, knowing he'd deal with Yamamoto's actions another time. "Take him to his room; I'll deal with him later."

"Ah, is Mukuro around?"

"He's come down with a bad case of flu and is currently resting in the infirmary. Take him to his room."

Yamamoto nodded, though he had no intention of taking Fran to his room; the boy needed someone, and he shouldn't just be dumped in a room all by himself. Instead, he asked, "What was Dino in a rush for?"

"Those two herbivores were at it again." Hibari's eyes focused on Xanxus once more, finding the older male seemingly calm as he continued eating his breakfast. "The shark herbivore ran off, so Cavallone followed him."

"I'll stop by and see if I can help. C'mon, Fran." As expected, Fran didn't say anything; he just remained peacefully in the young man's arms, too tired to put up resistance.

It was silent between the two as Yamamoto took Fran down to the Varia Wing, neither of them needing to speak; Fran was content listening to the therapist hum, though it still would have been nice to be with Mukuro instead.

_Where _is _Master, anyway...? _Teal eyes started scanning the area, as if Mukuro could be found hiding in the smallest crack. _I thought he'd have been here... Why is – keys...? _

"Oops." Yamamoto leant down to pick up the bundle of keys he had just dropped, having pulled them out of his pocket. He sorted through them quickly before he slipped one into the door they were standing in front of.

Fran recognised the room as soon as the door swung open, revealing the same tousle-haired blond restrained to the same bed Fran had slowly become familiar with.

"Belphegor?" Yamamoto kicked the door shut behind him as he approached the bed, aware of the fact the blond had tilted his head slightly towards him. "Can you do something for me, please?"

"Why should the prince do _anything _for the peasant...?" Bel's voice was raspy today, a hint of exhaustion evident in the tone. "No one ever does anything for _him_..."

Yamamoto was familiar with this side of Bel; it was the depressed side that was so well hidden, most people assumed it wasn't there. It wasn't fair for Bel to be kept in bed all day every day, but he was just too dangerous to be let free – it hurt the staff as much as it did Belphegor, but there was nothing they could do.

"If you'll look after Fran for me, I promise I'll talk to Hibari-san and see if he'll let you have the rest of the day out of your room. Does that sound fair?" Yamamoto had already approached the chair that rested by the bed, and he was in the process of gently seating Fran onto it.

Bel made an agitated noise before he tried to shift his position, the restraints becoming taut at his movements. "No; the prince _never _wants to come back to his room! He wants to be out!"

"You know we can't do that, Belphegor." The Japanese male wrapped the blanket tighter around Fran before he stood up straight, moving to stand by Bel's side. "I can try and get you out of here more often, but that's all I can do. I'm really sorry."

"I _hate _it here!" Bel screamed, scrabbling at air. A single tear slid down a pale cheek before he sniffed. "I... hate it here... So much..."

"I know..." Yamamoto sighed as he ran a hand through blond locks. He didn't flinch as the other snarled at him, wishing there was something more he could do. "It's really horrible, and we hate it, too, Belphegor."

"I wish I could die..." Bel whispered, more tears following the first one. "I want to die... Please... I'll do it myself... Just give me something and I'll have it done in a second... Please..."

"Belphegor, that's not the answer at all." Yamamoto glanced to his side as Fran approached them. He reached out to stop the boy as he clambered onto the bed, the blanket still wrapped around the youngest, but he stopped when he noticed Bel was accepting of Fran's actions. "I know it must be really hard with everything you've been through, but –"

"-You know _nothing_," the blond hissed, his fingers curling desperately into what little of Fran he could touch. "Don't _ever _act like you do!"

"I'm sorry, Belphegor; I didn't mean to sound condescending. I just –"

"-You have _no idea... _what they say to me..." Bel choked on a sob at his own words. "They tell me things... Things you couldn't even imagine... They're no different to the things my _family _said to me... And living with the acknowledgement that... that I'm nothing but a filthy whore... Disgusting and unwanted... The things my _brother _did to me... Why do I still have to hear their whispers when I'm trying to sleep...? Why can't they _leave me alone?! _Everyone...! I'm so... tired... So fucking tired... And you bastards can't even have the decency to let me off this fucking _bed...! _You're all assholes... I hate you all so fucking much..."

"Bel-senpai..." Fran reached out, his small fingers caressing a damp cheek. "Bel-senpai, it's okay..."

"No, it's not, Froggy..." Bel didn't even question Fran's sudden reappearance, just too defeated to be able to burden anything else. "No, it's not... It will never be okay..."

Fran didn't reply verbally; he instead pressed his lips to Bel's, softly at first, curious. He became more confident when he felt the kiss was returned, but he pulled away as soon as a tongue brushed against his lips, asking for entrance.

"No, senpai..." The boy whispered, clutching his blanket tighter. "I don't want... to kiss like that... It's scary..."

Bel just nodded, not in the mood to argue. He let his body fall limp as he sighed, wishing with all his being he could fall asleep – but he hadn't gotten a moment's peace all night, which meant he had been awake for well over seventy-two hours already, and it wasn't looking like he'd fall asleep any time soon.

"Don't leave me, Froggy..." Bel sniffed again, wanting to move closer but unable to. "Please... Don't leave me alone... Everyone _else _does..."

"I won't, senpai..." Fran rolled himself closer so that he was nestled against a warm chest, adjusting his blanket so that it rested over them both; for whatever reason, Bel had kicked away his own blankets. "I'll stay with you."

Bel just nodded, fighting against his drooping eyelids; as tired as he was, he was almost too afraid to sleep in fear of what his dreams would bring him.

Yamamoto, who had observed silently, bid them both goodbye before he left the room, closing the door as quietly as he could; he was hoping that with someone by his side, Bel would finally get some rest – the blond was a handful to deal with already, and it was only ever made worse when he wouldn't sleep.

Making his way over to Squalo's room instead, Yamamoto knocked politely before he entered. Squalo and Dino were sitting on the bed together, the silver-haired male crying into his hands while Dino hugged him tightly.

"Squalo?" The dark-haired male moved to stand before his patient, looking at Dino. "What happened?"

"He won't tell me; he wants me to leave." Dino frowned as he looked at his friend, hating whenever Squalo would shut himself off like this. "I just... I'm worried about doing so..."

Yamamoto nodded, knowing Dino's fears were very real; Squalo _was _depressed, and he _did _have suicidal behaviour; the blond probably felt guilty enough on a daily basis for having been unable to help him sooner.

"Squalo, want to tell me what happened?" Yamamoto reached out, putting a hand on the man's knee. He wasn't surprised when the older male kicked out at him, not taking it to heart; Squalo just wanted to be alone. "Does it have anything to do with Xanxus?"

"Fuck off!" Squalo screamed, lashing out at his friend. He shoved Dino away from him before he aimed a punch at the older male, hating _everyone _right now. "Leave me the fuck alone, you dumb shit! I hate you both so much! Get the fuck out of my room and don't come back!"

Yamamoto raised his hands defensively as Dino scurried away, putting distance between them wisely. "Squalo, please calm down. If you'll just tell me what hap –"

"-It's not your fucking business, you nosy little brat!" The long-haired man shouted. "Stay the fuck out of my life! You, too, Bucking Horse! You always claimed to care, but where were you when I needed you?! You hardly ever let me see that you cared until I came _here_! And still... You hardly even fucking come to see me anymore, and you expect me to believe you fucking _care?! _You only ever get your ass over here because of your fucking _boyfriend! _You don't care – you _never _did!"

Both Dino and Yamamoto knew that wasn't true; Dino had done _everything _he could when they were younger – hell, he had often stayed up all night on the phone talking to Squalo, trying to coax him out of committing suicide, not to mention the many times he had spent the night at the younger's house just because Squalo needed a shoulder to lean on.

The sad reality was that Squalo truly believed his own words – not through any fault of his own or even _Dino's_, but because his illness was such a lonely one, it was hard to be able to feel as if people are there for you.

Yamamoto knew Squalo well enough to know that the man needed time to cool down – trying to get him to talk in this state would do no good.

"Dino, let's give him some alone time." Yamamoto patted the blond's arm as he turned around, heading to the door. He waited until they were out of the room and well out of earshot before he said, "I'll have someone make sure he has no access to the kitchen today, just in case he has a plan..."

Dino nodded, just wishing his friend didn't have to suffer so much. It hurt to hear Squalo's words, but he knew they weren't true – that was the important thing.


	12. Chapter 12

"Don't you think you should apologise to Squalo?"

"What the fuck for?"

"Xanxus..." Yamamoto sighed, knowing it was difficult working with said man at times. "Xanxus, you really hurt him."

"Fucking trash shouldn't have been bothering me when I was trying to eat." Red eyes fixed on the younger male, hatred and anger prominent in them. "He kept trying to tell me he loved me. Stupid trash _knows _to leave me alone when I'm fucking eating – I don't want to hear that sappy shit."

"But, Xanxus, he really _does _love you." The two were sitting in Xanxus' room, the therapist trying his hardest to help the two older males out; he knew that, while the dark-haired male was as indifferent as ever, Squalo was really hurting over what had happened. "He loves you more than anything else in his life."

"All I needed him for was to be the second-in-command of my organisation; I have no need for such petty emotions." The older male lay down on his bed, his arms behind his head. "If he weren't such a good lay, I probably wouldn't have even indulged in his stupid wishes."

The thing with Xanxus was that it was hard to tell when he genuinely felt a certain way, or when his delusions were messing around with him again. There were times the man would say one thing, but his actions would say another; his actions had always told everyone around him that he loved Squalo just as much as the long-haired male loved _him, _and though they had had their _many _fights, never before had Xanxus outright denied his affection for his boyfriend.

Yamamoto sincerely hoped it was just the taller male's delusions messing him around again, because he worried that Squalo wouldn't be able to take the betrayal if it were anything else.

"Speaking of which... tell the Sawada scum that we still haven't fought to see who'd be the leader." The man sneered before he added, "Fucking pussy."

Yamamoto frowned as he ducked his head, knowing nothing he'd say would get through to the older male. He instead nodded as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, getting ready to leave. "I'm going to go and see Squalo now... Is there anything I should tell him from you?"

A smirk crossed the stronger male's face as he nodded, his eyes shining with malice. "Tell him... thanks for the blowjobs."

"Alright, Xanxus..." Yamamoto didn't want to argue with his patient, knowing it would do no good anyway; the man would only cause another fuss, and he didn't want to indulge in it. "I'll be back later to check on you."

"Fuck off already, trash." Red eyes turned to the window opposite them, staring out into the sprawling green yards of the facility.

Yamamoto was silent as he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He moved to the room next to Xanxus', finding Lussuria and Dino standing out the front of the closed door, seemingly trying to gain entrance.

"What's going on?" The Japanese male asked as he approached the older two.

"Squalo won't let us in." Dino sighed as he let go of the doorhandle, he and Lussuria turning around to face Yamamoto. "He's sitting up against the door."

Worry crossed the youngest male's face at these words, reaching out instinctively to knock on the door. "Is he _okay_...?"

"I think so; I can hear him moving around and crying." The blond scratched his cheek at his words, wishing there was something he could do to help. "I guess he's really hurting over what had happened..."

"Squal-chan, please open the door, sweetie!" Lussuria was pushing at it again, stopping only when the other shouted at him to fuck off. Sighing, he turned his attention back onto Yamamoto. "We don't want to hurt him by forcing the door open..."

Yamamoto nodded, knowing their fears were reasonable; they didn't know what kind of condition Squalo was in right now, and if he was as fragile as he sounded, they could do some damage to him, whether it be physical or mental. "You guys keep talking to him; I'll be right back."

Yamamoto crossed the hall, moving to Belphegor's room. He slipped the key into the lock, opening the door. On the inside of the room, Fran was fast asleep, curled up beside the blond, while Belphegor himself was mumbling away, exhaustion evident in his very being; his voice was heavy, his body shaking and uncoordinated.

"I did what you asked of me..." Bel mumbled, turning to look anywhere but at his therapist. "He's been looked after... Now let me out..."

"I am, Belphegor," the Japanese male promised. He came to stand by the bed, reaching out to first undo the restraints over the blond's legs. "I spoke to Hibari, and I talked him into letting you out – as long as you don't cause any trouble, you can have the day out of your room."

Belphegor made an agitated noise. "I don't want the day out – I want a _life _out!"

"If you _try _and behave yourself, I'm sure I can talk to Hibari and get him to agree." Yamamto moved up, undoing the restraint wrapped tightly around the man's stomach. "Okay?"

A sob escaped Belphegor's lips, a fresh tear running down his pale cheek. He shook his head, too frustrated to hear what was being said properly. "Get me out..."

"I'm trying, Belphegor." Yamamoto reached out, patting blond hair. He didn't comment on the snarl he received in return, knowing he should have expected it. "I really am."

The blond moaned when his arms were freed next, immediately reaching up to wipe at his wet eyes. He had to wait for the chest restraint to be removed but, once it was, he sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. "Why are you all treating me like this...? Why is everyone _else _allowed out of their rooms and I can't even leave my _bed_...?"

"I know, Belphegor..."

"Stop calling me that!" the man snapped angrily, reaching out to slap at the younger. "Stop calling me _Belphegor! _I _hate _it!"

"I'm sorry, Belph – Bel..."

"_They _always called me by my full name... Jill, too..." Bel shuddered as memories rang through his mind. "He always... called _Belphegor _out when he... when he was coming... So stop calling me by it!"

Yamamoto understood; the things Belphegor had to suffer through on a daily basis were, of course, heightened by his lack of sleep – he would be struggling unbelievably to cope with his emotions right now.

"Bel, you're free to leave the room now," Yamamoto gently pointed out. "I'm sure you'll feel better if you go for a walk; it'll get your chemicals flowing."

Belphegor didn't reply verbally; he just scooped Fran up into his arms as he clambered off the bed, staggering out of the room in one hell of an exhausted manner. Yamamoto hadn't felt as bad for other patients as he did the blond.

_**~~XX~~**_

"I heard Yamamoto found Fran last night." Shoichi took a bite out of the sandwich he was eating, his soft eyes focused on Gokudera. Spanner sat next to him, the three having grabbed a table together in the corner of the activities room. "Is he okay?"

Gokudera shrugged, picking at the sushi bento Yamamoto had prepared for them earlier. "Think so. We didn't talk about it much."

"You two don't seem to talk about _anything _much," Spanner observed. "A lot of the time, I have to wonder if you two are even happy together."

"We _are _happy!" Gokudera defended. "We just... have different interests..."

"That's not the best when it comes to chemistry," the blond pointed out. "Do you guys even spend much time together outside of the bedroom?"

"Well..." Gokudera tensed at the question, knowing that if he were to answer it truthfully, he'd he admitting that as much as Yamamoto _tried _to get them to spend time together, the silver-haired male had a habit of pushing the taller one away in favour of solitude. "...I guess so..."

Shoichi and Spanner shared a knowing look before the redhead spoke, a shy smile on his face. "You know... Spanner and I do almost everything together, but we also have healthy distance in our relationship; maybe you should try and accept Yamamoto a little more – it mustn't be very easy for him knowing his boyfriend wants to be by himself a lot of the time."

"What _are _you two? My relationship counsellors?" Gokudera frowned. "If the baseball freak wasn't happy, he'd have said something."

"Calling your boyfriend by such a derogatory term might also be hurting him, as well as putting down his interest, Gokudera." Spanner ran long fingers through red locks of hair, wrapping an arm around his partner's shoulders. "You should try and be a bit more considerate to his feelings; he loves you and is patient with you _now, _but it might not always be that way."

Gokudera closed his eyes, knowing the younger two were right, but also not knowing how to treat Yamamoto properly in their relationship; ever since their teen years, they had always acted this way to each other – how was he supposed to suddenly change _now_?

"I just – what is it, Byakuran?"

Gokudera opened his eyes again at Shoichi's voice, finding one of the Millefiore patients had approached during their conversation. He watched as the white-haired male reached out, poking the redhead's cheek.

"I just wanted to come say hi to Sho-chan~" Byakuran smiled brightly, completely disregarding the fact that Spanner was with them. "Is Sho-chan doing alright?"

"Yes, I am, thank you." Shoichi would never treat one of the patients badly, and as unappreciative of the older male's flirting as he was, he didn't take it out on the other; he knew Spanner was too even-tempered to take offence to their interactions – the blond knew better than to think Shoichi would _ever _accept Byakuran's advances. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well..." Byakuran put the tips of his fingers together in a seemingly-innocent manner, "...I was wondering where Muku-chan had disappeared to~"

"He's in the infirmary as he's sick," Shoichi explained, only to quickly continue on as he noticed the excited look cross the taller male's face. "And he is _not _taking any visitors until he's better, Byakuran."

The white-haired male sighed before his playful smile reappeared. "Then may I play with Sho-chan for a while?"

"_Sho-chan _is enjoying his lunch, and then he will be going home early for a doctor's appointment," Spanner inputted, as calm as ever; he was well aware of the white-haired male's infatuation with his boyfriend, but as long as Byakuran kept his hands off Shoichi, he could deal with it.

Shoichi nodded, leaning into his partner's side. "It's true; I have to go in about fifteen minutes."

"But without Muku-chan and Sho-chan, it's so boring!" Byakuran's violet eyes scanned the room, searching for anyone he could deem fun. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Why don't you go talk to Rasiel?" Shoichi suggested. "You guys get along well."

The older male crinkled his nose in distaste. "He's in a mood, and only wants to talk about his brother."

The therapists were understanding at this, but just as Gokudera started replying, the four were distracted by the door opening and a familiar head of blond accompanied by a teal one caught their eyes.

Gokudera was quick to get to his feet, knowing they were supposed to intervene the second Belphegor was found out of his room. "Oi! What are you doing out of your room, you bastard?!"

The two newcomers stopped at the silver-haired male's voice. Fran trembled for a few seconds before he moved to hide behind the older male, his tiny fingers curling into the man's striped shirt.

"Your boyfriend let me out," Bel answered slowly, as if he were dealing with someone who wouldn't understand him otherwise. "He said it's okay."

"The fuck?! Where is he?!" Gokudera was _not _happy, _resenting _the blond being out of his room – as far as he was concerned, Belphegor could rot away in that bed. "I'll kill him!"

Bel watched as his psychiatrist ran from the room, shrugging once the other was gone. He reached out, grabbing Fran's hand, pulling him over towards the Millefiore staff. "Where is Mammy?"

"I believe she went for her shower," Spanner explained. "I imagine she'd be back soon. Lollipop?"

Belphegor held his hand out expectantly, snatching away the sweet before his fellow blond could change his mind. "Give one to Froggy, too."

"Of course." Spanner was tender as he gave the teenager a lollipop as well, patient as he waited for teal eyes to stop staring and the trembling fingers to pull away the sweet they had hesitantly wrapped around.

Fran looked at the ground as he slowly undid the wrapping, pressing himself against Belphegor's side. He shuddered as he felt the other pat his head, but he didn't pull away; apart from Mukuro, the blond was the only other person he liked.

Shoichi smiled as he watched the sight before him, only to frown as his eyes widened, a white blur shooting out of the corner of his eye. He gasped as he watched Byakuran slap the lollipop away from Fran before taking a handful of teal hair and ripping at it, drawing a loud cry of pain and surprise from the boy.

"Byakuran, stop!" Both Shoichi and Spanner had jumped forward, trying to get in between the three, but they were both pushed away by Belphegor who was snarling as he reached out, ready to kill the other for touching what was _his_.

Fran watched in horror as the two fought, punches and kicks thrown continuously. Some of them connected and some didn't, but the ones that did hit their mark drew blood. The staff was trying to pull them apart as the other patients crowded around, offering no help whatsoever.

It wasn't until a feminine voice shouted from behind Fran did Belphegor suddenly freeze, stepping back from Byakuran. He growled at the other male before he turned around, obscured eyes softening the second he found Mammon approaching them.

"Mammy..." Belphegor abandoned his fight in favour of closing the distance between he and Mammon, sighing as he dropped his head and tensing much like a kid who knew it was in trouble.

"Bel, what are you doing out of your room?" Mammon reached out, putting a small hand on the blond's side. "Why are you causing more trouble?"

"I got let out of my room – I have permission." Bel hesitated before he explained the rest, "...And the stupid marshmallow hurt _my _Froggy..."

Mammon looked over at the boy, seeing that he _did _look shaken. "Are you okay, Fran?"

Fran nodded, moving to Bel's side. He wrapped his arms around the man before burying his face in the warm stomach, unable to stop shaking.

"Belphegor, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to put you back in your room."

Belphegor tensed at these words before he spun around, glaring at Shoichi with hatred in his eyes. "No! I held up my end of the bargain! I want _out_! Takeshi _said _I could come out! I'm not going back in there!"

"Belphegor, if you don't calm down I'm going to have to sedate you, and I don't want to do that."

The blond jumped back as the redhead reached out to touch him, anger radiating off him. "Get away from me... Get away from me! Takeshi said I could come out! He did!"

Shoichi instinctively reached into his pocket, pulling out a sedative. He was ready to administer it, but he stopped when Mammon walked in between them.

"Bel knew the consequences of what fighting would bring him," the girl explained, "but he was just trying to protect Fran. He _knows _what he did was wrong, but he can't help it; he just doesn't want to go back into his room – he really hates it in there. Please give him another chance; I'm sure he'll behave himself today; this was just a one-off."

Shoichi knew Belphegor was dangerous, and that he _really _shouldn't be out of his room without supervision, but everyone knew how much the blond hated being confined to his bed day in, day out; it really wasn't fair to Belphegor to be cooped up while everyone else could do what they wanted, and at least he had _stopped _fighting this time – something that had never happened before.

The redhead would really hate to be the one to put the restraints back on the blond, and he had witnessed what had happened – for once, _Belphegor _hadn't been the one to start the fight; _he _had been provoked today; how could they punish him when it was _Byakuran _who had started the fight?

Shoichi sighed before he slipped the syringe back into his pocket, nodding. "Viper... Please make sure he's kept calm and comfortable; if he keeps fighting, I'm going to have no choice but to put him back in his room."

Mammon nodded, patting the boy who had started clinging to her during Bel and Shoichi's one-sided argument. "Come, Bel; verse me in monopoly."

Belphegor struggled to control his now-heavy breathing, but he nodded anyway. He reached out, grabbing Fran's hand as he led the boy towards the back of the room, Mammon following behind them. He took a seat at the table and waited for the girl to set up the board, and it didn't take long at all for Fran to fall asleep on his lap, seemingly peaceful.

The blond ran a hand through teal hair as he rolled the dice, just glad to be out of that _hell _for once.

_**~~XX~~**_

"H-hibari-san...?"

Hibari looked up at Tsuna's voice. He dropped his eyes back to the paperwork he was reading, his attention divided. "What is it, herbivore?"

"Umm..." Tsuna looked uncomfortable as he stood in the doorway, hoping the skylark was in a good mood, "...did you really... give Yamamoto permission to let Belphegor out...?"

"I did, yes. Why?"

"...B-belphegor has already been involved in another fight..." Tsuna flinched as the other froze, knowing Hibari was going to be _furious _– he could only imagine what Yamamoto had done to get him to agree in the first place. "B-but...! It wasn't... He didn't start this one! Byakuran... attacked Fran, and Belphegor only wanted to defend him!"

"I don't care if he started it or not; he was still _involved _in it – now get him back into his room. _Now_."

Tsuna scrambled to remedy the situation, having known this would happen but having no other choice but to report it. "H-hibari-san, he...! He's really calm right now! I was talking to Spanner and he explained what had happened, so I went to see him, and... He hasn't slept for over three days, but... he was curled up in the activity room with Viper and Fran... He and Fran were fast asleep, and I haven't seen him so relaxed in a long time!"

Hibari took a moment to consider this, knowing that if Belphegor was asleep, he couldn't possibly cause any more trouble; it would only be a hassle waking him up and then having him protest against going back to his room – they may as well wait until he had woken again before they did anything.

The raven turned back to the paperwork, just a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You know that green herbivore spends far too much time asleep; if he's not following behind the pineapple herbivore like a lost puppy, he's sleeping. Put a stop to that; it's not healthy."

"Fran _is _depressed, Hibari-san; it's completely understandable that he wants to slee – u-uh, I mean... Sure, Hibari-san! I'll do what I can!"

Tsuna laughed nervously before he disappeared out of the office, knowing _anything _was better than enduring Hibari's wrath.


	13. Chapter 13

"What are you doing?"

Dino glanced up from the desk drawer he had been rummaging through in the office of his home, his hazel eyes looking guiltily up at his younger lover; he knew he had woken the other from sleep, and he felt bad about it. "Sorry, Kyouya; I was just looking for something."

Hibari stood in the doorway, light blue pyjamas covering his body. He blinked as he approached the taller man, moving to sit on the swivel chair. "What for?"

The office was dark, moonlight blocked by the curtains. The only light was supplied by the desk lamp, the computer sitting next to it having been shut down hours ago.

"Oh, just something I had from school." Dino gently shut the drawer before he opened the next one, pushing aside important documents and stationary to see what was in it. "It was an old photo a teacher gave to me."

The skylark wasn't sure why a photo would have his boyfriend up and searching at twelve at night, and he conveyed this. "Is it important?"

The blond nodded. "Very much so, Kyouya; it was one of the last photos taken of me and Squalo before he became depressed. It was on a school event, and once the teachers had realised he had be hospitalised, one of them printed it out for me. All the teachers knew how close we were because we were always together."

Hibari could somewhat understand; his lover probably missed his friend and the close bond they once shared, and wanted to remember how things had once been. "Do you think you still have it?"

"Definitely." Dino shut that drawer as well before he straightened up, trying to think of where he could have put it. "It's not something I'd have thrown away, even by mistake. You should go back to bed, Kyouya; I might be here for a while."

Hibari nodded as he got back to his feet. He was silent as he stood on his tiptoes, leaning up to kiss the blond on the lips. He nodded when Dino bid him goodnight, leaving the office. Dino just resumed his search, moving over the filing case beside the desk.

The klutz sifted through everything for a few minutes before he finally resurfaced with a manila folder. He opened it, finding that it contained familiar high-school tests and revision notes.

"Found it." Dino had kept his marked papers and everything else he had prepared for his exams, knowing they may one day come in handy. As it was exclusively dedicated to his schooling, he had slipped the photo he had been searching for inside it, knowing it wouldn't get lost that way.

Parting the papers, a calloused hand pulled out the old photo, sitting it on top of the steel cabinet as he returned everything back to their original positions.

Hazel eyes scrutinised the photo carefully as Dino sat down on the desk chair. It was a very old one, the two boys in it having been no older than fourteen. They were sitting on grass, a few other unidentifiable kids in the background. They wore a school uniform; white button-up shirts with black ties and pants just as dark. While the two boys had different coloured hair, one blond and the other silver, they were both cut short.

But what struck Dino the most was the _life _that had long-since vanished from his best friend's eyes. Dark orbs conveyed Squalo's happiness, a mischievous grin on his young face. He was leaning into Dino's side as the older male's arm wrapped around his shoulder, the younger teenager's tongue poking out from soft lips in a cheeky manner.

Dino sighed as he put the photo down onto the desk, remembering only too clearly the way Squalo had started to rapidly deteriorate just weeks after that photo had been taken. It had come on so suddenly, Dino had been shocked when his friend had suddenly started crying in class, seemingly over nothing. Even when the blond had asked what was wrong, Squalo hadn't known; he had just said he had been feeling down all morning, and couldn't think positively about _anything_, much less himself.

The older teenager had been as loyal back then as he was now, never once leaving Squalo to fend for himself – even when he had discovered that Squalo had started to cut himself, he only worked harder on being as best a friend as he could, and when the younger had started trying to commit suicide, he never once thought of Squalo as a burden or _anything _like that; he had just wanted to help.

No matter what Squalo had done, no matter how angry he had gotten or the words he had said to the taller teenager, Dino had always been there – and he _would _still be there; it was just a matter of getting the silver-haired male to let him back in.

With a sigh, the blond stood up, making a mental note to ask Hibari to photocopy it for him when he had a chance so that he could give it to Squalo.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Oh, Tsunayoshi?"

The addressed male turned around at his patient's voice, having been dropping food into his shopping trolley; every now and then the staff pooled together money to go out and buy snacks for the patients, spoiling them for being so well-behaved (most of the time) and making their jobs easier. It just so happened that, as a certain white-haired male had been causing trouble for their newest patient, Tsuna volunteered to take him out as well. "Yes, Byakuran?"

"Can I get my marshmallows now?" Violet eyes sparkled with happiness. "It's been an awful long time since we came here and I'm afraid you may forget them."

"We've only been here for a few minutes, and I promise I won't forget them," the brunet reassured. "You know you're not allowed out of my sight. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait just a while longer."

Byakuran tapped his cheek as he nodded, his playful smile widening. "If you _do _forget them, I get to play with Muku-chan, 'kay?"

"That's not very reasonable." Tsuna reached out, grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge. He held one up into the older male's view before he asked, "Do you want one, too?"

"Please~ But how is that not reasonable, Tsunayoshi?"

"You guys don't get along, and Mukuro-san is _very _sick; you'll only stress him out while he's trying to recover." The smaller male slipped two bottles of soda into the trolley before he pushed it along, knowing the stronger male would follow obediently. "I can understand that you conflict with each other, but why are you taking it out on _Fran_? He hasn't done anything."

"I don't like him~" Byakuran's smile became impossibly wide at his own words. "He's ugly and useless and taking _my _Muku-chan away from me~ Muku-chan doesn't need him when he has _me_~"

"That's not true." Tsuna was as patient as ever, his attention divided as he mentally checked off his list of supplies. "Well... I'm sure it's true you don't like him, but Fran isn't any of those things, Byakuran; he's sweet, and he just wants someone he can feel safe with. He isn't 'taking Mukuro away' from anyone; he just really doesn't know anyone else. And I think Mukuro _does _need him; he's been pretty placid, and he seems very attached to Fran."

Byakuran stuck his nose up in the air. "Why can't you just give him to that 'prince'? I'm sure Belphegor would _love _to have a roommate he could rape and beat whenever he wants to."

"Byakuran!" Tsuna scolded, frowning as he noticed eyes that had drifted over to them at those words. "Byakuran, Belphegor _isn't _a rapist, nor does he 'beat' anyone; he just... comes across too strong when he's looking for a bed partner – he was raped so many times when he was little, he really doesn't know the meaning of 'stop' or 'no', and he doesn't understand he's not the only one with boundaries. He's never... _penetrated _someone without their consent; he's just... well, _pushy_. And I highly doubt he'd 'beat' someone for fun – he may fight a lot, but I can't see him being genuinely abusive."

"Rasiel tells me about it a lot." A sneer crossed onto the white-haired male's face at his thoughts. "He tells me about how Belphegor would cry and beg for him to stop. He said their parents would hold Belphegor down sometimes to make it easier for him, and that their father tended to jack off as he watched it happen."

Tsuna felt sick at this, having never actually heard this from either twin before – if it had been said by Rasiel, chances were it wasn't true or was just an exaggeration, but... he wouldn't put it past the twins' parents to have done it at least once before.

"What Belphegor went through was a terrible thing, Byakuran..." the brunet said quietly. "His body is covered in scars from their hands... Not to mention his mind... Please do not take the situation so lightly – you have _no idea _of the things Belphegor feels because of them."

The white-haired male shrugged. "I really don't care; in case you haven't noticed, I hate Belphegor just as much I do that teal-haired little shit. It's just a shame Rasiel didn't kill him when he got out of his room that night."

The therapist sighed as he shook his head, knowing it was difficult dealing with feuds between patients – there just happened to be _a lot _of them within the facility. "I don't wish to talk about this anymore, Byakuran..."

"But I do~" The older male laughed quietly. "I saw them out of their rooms together yesterday~"

"So I heard..."

"After Spanner took me to my room to calm down, I came back out. They were playing board games with Viper. The stupid brat went to sleep straight away, but Belphegor got back into Viper's pants in front of _everyone_; he ate Viper out as he jerked himself off, and it would have gone further had they not been stopped. All this, right beside the brat."

"Yes, those two are... shameless, to say the least..." Tsuna was uncomfortable with the mental image his patient was creating, but he had seen Belphegor do worse. "It's best to just let themselves finish instead of stopping them altogether."

"You should separate them." Byakuran nodded at his own words. "In fact, you should have Belphegor transferred – he shouldn't have been let out of his room at all yesterday. You shouldn't let them be together if he _does _have to come back out, and lock that brat away in solitude for good measure; I'm sure the darkness will scare him silly."

"I'm not doing that to my patients," Tsuna argued. "Belphegor and Viper have a strong relationship, no matter how... obvious it can be displayed, and Fran has done nothing wrong to deserve such treatment; he needs to _recover_ – not be made worse. The same with Belphegor; they _both _need love and support after everything they went through."

"What are you going to do if the twins just so happen to run into each other?" The taller male smirked, genuinely curious about this. "Granted, Rasiel rarely leaves his room as it is, but it'll be a bloodbath ending when one twin is dead if they just so happen to come across each other."

"We asked Rasiel to remain in his room yesterday, and Hibari-san is meeting with the others to discuss this issue. Now _please, _Byakuran; I_ really _don't want to be discussing my patients outside of work with _another _patient."

The white-haired male waved his hand dismissively, making a small popping sound with his lips. "I know everything about everyone anyway – probably more so than _any _of you 'therapists' do; there's only so much they'll divulge to people who don't understand."

Tsuna knew that was true; as therapists, they only had the textbook understanding of how their patients felt on a daily basis – out of them all, Gokudera and Shouichi were the only ones who could come _close _to understanding; the silver-haired male because of his shitty childhood and Shouchi, because of his severe anxiety.

But even with their own experiences, how were they ever to understand some of the horrible things the others had been through when they themselves had had it so good by comparison?

_**~~XX~~**_

Shouichi glanced up as he heard the front door of his home closing. He glanced down at his watch, surprised to find that it was only lunchtime; Spanner shouldn't have come home from work until dinnertime.

"Spanner?" The redhead abandoned the robot he had been working on, getting up to greet his lover. He found the blond kicking his boots off, and he could only smile in happiness; he was certain he was deeply in love with his best friend, having never felt the way he did around anyone else – only Spanner brought him the immense happiness and contentment he so often felt when he was around people. "Spanner, how come you're home early?"

Spanner's soft gaze wandered over to Shouichi, his laid-back smile appearing. "I think I'm coming down with what Mukuro has; I haven't been feeling the best and Tsuna said I should go home and get some rest. I think Gokudera has it, too. What about you? Are you enjoying your day off?"

The redhead nodded as he adjusted his glasses. "I've started on that robot. Want to see it?"

"Of course." Spanner followed his boyfriend into the living room, sitting down at the coffee table so that he could examine the smaller male's work so far. "Very nice, Sho."

A shy smile fluttered across Shouchi's face at the compliment. "Thanks..."

"I'm going to go and have a nap." The blond pushed himself to his feet, extending a hand. "Want to join me?"

"I'd love to, Spanner, but I wanted to work a bit more on the robot before I go over Rasiel and Byakuran's files again to –"

Spanner reached out, caressing a soft cheek. He leaned forward, kissing the older male's forehead tenderly. "It's your day off, Sho; work on the robot if you want to, but you can do the other part tomorrow. Relax a bit."

Shouchi felt his stomach start to cramp in anxiety. He pushed softly at his lover, trying to get some room between them, knowing the blond would understand. "S-spanner, I..."

"You're overworking yourself," Spanner said quietly. He reached out, taking the smaller hand in his. "You only get anxious around me when you're in need of a break. C'mon, Sho; a nap won't hurt you. I'll even help you work on the robot when I'm feeling up to it."

Shouichi couldn't help but nod in agreement; his lover always knew how to convince him to stop working. He leaned forwards again, capturing Spanner's lips with his own.

"I love you, Spanner..."

"I love you, too, Sho-chan."

_**~~XX~~**_

"...dera...?"

Gokudera's green eyes blinked sleepily as he lifted his head from the desk. He was aware of someone shaking him, calling his name, and though he knew he wasn't supposed to be sleeping on the job, he couldn't help but be annoyed that his partner had decided to wake him up during the middle of a rather interesting dream.

"What is it, baseball freak...?" Gokudera lifted a hand to his mouth, stifling his yawn.

"It's home time for us," the dark-haired male explained. He was smiling as always, just happy to be back with his boyfriend. "C'mon; Tsuna said you've been asleep for a while but he didn't want to wake you – I told him earlier you'd been up all night feeling sick and he thought it was better to let you rest."

Gokudera slowly got to his feet as he tried to fight his sleepiness away. "Alright... Where are the car keys?"

"I've got them. Want me to drive home tonight?" Yamamoto would do anything for his smaller lover, just wanting the other to be happy.

The silver-haired male shook his head as he rubbed at his eyes. "I can drive."

"Are you sure? You look really tired, Gokudera. Maybe it's better if I-"

"-Just give me the fucking keys!" Gokudera snapped, holding his hand out expectantly. "I'm not a baby, Yamamoto; I can drive a fucking car."

The younger male frowned at these words, having only tried to do the right thing by his partner. "I didn't mean to imply anything like that, Gokudera; I just –"

"-I'm fine! Just because I'm tired doesn't mean I can't drive." Gokudera gathered his belongings, slipping them into his pockets before he took the keys from the other. "Let's go, baseball freak."

Yamamoto was unusually quiet as he followed Gokudera out of the facility, upset about the fact that, no matter how hard he tried, his lover always pushed him away and treated him badly. It was hard to always hold up a smile and act as if it didn't bother him when in truth it did – it bothered him more than anything.

The Japanese male was just far too kind to ever say anything about it to his boyfriend, knowing holding it in was the worst thing to do but not wanting to confront his beloved Gokudera. It was so much easier giving advice than it was to follow it himself.

It was silent as they locked the building behind them and walked down to the car park at the side of the facility. The only cars still there besides their own was Ryohei's and some of the night cleaners'.

Gokudera slid easily into the driver's seat, adjusting it so that it wasn't better-suited to Yamamoto's stature than his own. Likewise, the younger pushed his seat back, giving himself more leg room.

"Are you sure you want to drive?" Yamamoto was wary about causing conflict between them, but Gokudera could be as unreasonable as half the patients most of the time – no matter what he said, he wouldn't get the other out of the driver's seat.

"I'm _fine_!" Gokudera reversed the car and angled it around so that he was heading towards the exit of the car park. He got back out onto the street easily enough, but he was having trouble keeping the car in a straight line; it sagged from side-to-side, and Yamamoto was just glad there was no one else about.

The psychiatrist had struggled to keep his eyes open, and now, as hard as he tried, he couldn't help but let them slip closed, his world turning black as he passed out. Yamamoto, who had been staring out of the passenger window whilst in his own little world, took no notice of his partner's condition until he looked ahead and found that the lights ahead of them were red, and the car's speed was not diminishing in the least – if anything, it was speeding up.

"Gokudera?" The younger looked over at his boyfriend, his heart starting to pound in panic as he found the other slumped against the steering wheel, passed out. Shouting the smaller male's name, Yamamoto instinctively reached into the middle of the car, jerking the handbrake up as hard as he could. He closed his eyes and braced himself for impact as the car tyres slid into lock, the screech deafening.

Gokudera had snapped awake at the sound, his eyes widening as he realised the car was heading directly towards the group of vehicles turning off, and there was not enough time between them for a collision to be avoidable.

The two males were jerked forward at the sudden impact, the loud shattering of glass and crunching of the metal frame the last thing either of them heard before their worlds went black.


	14. Chapter 14

"Herbivore."

Tsuna flinched at Hibari's voice, freezing. He slowly turned around, pulling the damp cloth he had been dabbing at Mukuro's sweaty forehead with. He found the older male standing in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Y-yes, Hibari-san...?"

"Why haven't those other two herbivores arrived yet?" Annoyance was deep in the skylark's voice, and Tsuna could only wonder what was bothering him today. "They should have been here an hour ago, and they're not answering any of their phones."

It clicked then; Gokudera and Yamamoto had been put on the eight o'clock shift this morning. But if they weren't here...

"How many times have you tried to call them?" the brunet asked, straightening his back out. He sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, trying not to disturb his sleeping patient.

"Every ten minutes. We've tried all three of their phones and none have been answered."

Tsuna was worried about this information, knowing it wasn't like his friends to suddenly disappear. "Do you want me to go and see if they're at home?"

Hibari shook his head. "If you leave now, we'll be even more understaffed and the Millefiore herbivores will be swamped and unable to keep up with filling in."

"Shoichi and Spanner are more than capable, Hibari-san," the younger male tried to point out. "They –"

"- The blond herbivore is not even a therapist; he is merely specialising in medicating illnesses. We can't send him into a room and expect him to do any good. It will only be his partner who can work with the patients, and that's not fair on any of them, including himself."

Tsuna nodded, knowing the raven was right. He stood up from the bed, glancing down at the Vongola patient for a few seconds before nodding to himself. "I'll keep trying to ring them when I have time, Hibari-san; I'm sure they'll be here – it's not like them to miss a shift and not let us know."

Hibari nodded, satisfied with his worker's competence. "Do let me know as soon as you hear from them; we're understaffed as it is."

"I will, Hibari-san. When is Shamal going to be here? Mukuro-san might need some more medicine; he feels really cold to the touch."

"Shouldn't be much longer." With that said, Hibari left the medical ward, tending to his own business. He was frustrated today, knowing that without Gokudera and Yamamoto, he was going to have to call Shoichi and Spanner back in, despite the two _both _having gone on sick-leave; there was no way only Tsuna and himself could handle so many patients without help.

Tsuna sighed as he watched his boss leave. He wiped at his forehead with a gloved hand, turning his attention back to Mukuro; their doctor was late to his shift, having rang earlier and explained that he had gotten drunk and somehow found himself in a random woman's bed several towns over. Hibari hadn't been impressed at all, but seeing as he was their only medical expert and they had a sick patient on their hands, they had no choice but to wait for him.

"Tsunayoshi...?"

Soft brown eyes blinked as they heard Mukuro's soft mumbling, looking down to find the older male starting to stir. Reaching out, Tsuna brushed blue strands of hair out of heterochromatic eyes. "What's wrong, Mukuro-san?"

Confusion was clear in Mukuro's orbs, seemingly struggling to take in his surroundings; he had been like that ever since he came down with his illness; at first they had suspected flu, but Shamal had said it was possible it was something more.

"Tsunayoshi..." Mukuro reached out, taking the smaller male's hand in his. He coughed raggedly, his eyes closing for a few seconds in discomfort. "Tsunayoshi..."

"It's okay; I'm here." The therapist ran a gentle hand through now-oily locks of blue hair, trying to soothe the distressed man. "I'm not going to leave you."

"Tsunayoshi..." Mukuro didn't seem capable of forming any coherent thought, but Tsuna didn't mind; he was patient, just trying to keep the weaker male comfortable.

Tsuna sat back down on the bed, not surprised when Mukuro started dragging himself weakly across the mattress in order to lay his head on the younger's lap. He coughed again, letting his eyes slip closed as he tried to fall back asleep.

The brunet checked his wristwatch every now and then, waiting impatiently for their doctor's arrival. He continued threading his fingers through the usually-soft hair, listening to the unsteady breathing. He was sure Mukuro was just about asleep, but then the other spoke, seemingly coherent now.

"Is Fran back yet...?" the ill male questioned.

"Yes, Mukuro-san; Yamamoto brought him back a few days ago. He's been asking for you."

"Can I see him...?" Mukuro's eyes opened slowly, looking up at the therapist.

"I'm sorry, Mukuro-san, but you're contagious, and we don't think Fran would have a very strong immune system, if he has one at all; Spanner and Gokudera-kun have it, too, and it's knocked all three of you off your feet when nothing usually does – we don't want to risk Fran catching it and being unable to fight it off."

Mukuro nodded, too exhausted to argue. "Tsunayoshi..."

"Shh... It's okay, Mukuro-san; go back to sleep if you can."

The older male hummed softly, trying to do as he was told. He was greatly relaxed by the brunet's presence, trusting Tsuna more than he did any of the other therapists and especially that pervert of a doctor who hardly lifted a finger for any of them but Mammon.

Once Mukuro's breathing had steadied and it became clear he was asleep again, Tsuna carefully rested his head on the pillow, standing up to leave the medical ward. He went to his office to grab his phone, dialling Gokudera's phone number. He was concerned when the silver-haired male didn't answer, knowing there was no force in this world that would stop the taller male from answering his best friend's call.

Trying Yamamoto's number only earned the same results, and Tsuna could only wonder what was going on. He wanted to go out to their house and check on them, but he couldn't abandon the patients who relied on him for others who could handle themselves.

_**~~XX~~**_

Green eyes opened slowly, the world around him nothing but a blur. He was aware of pale blue curtains surrounding him, a soft beeping coming from somewhere above his head. He tried to lift his head and see where he was, the bright lights in the roof hurting his eyes, but his head was so heavy, he could hardly move it.

"Yama...moto...?" Gokudera mumbled, his voice slurred. He rolled onto his side, finding nothing but more curtains and an IV drip beside him. "Yamamoto...?"

The silver-haired male winced as his body started throbbing angrily, pulling his knees towards his chest. He groaned loudly, letting his eyes slipped closed, no idea what was going on.

"Gokudera-san!"

The addressed male frowned as a female voice called out to him, just wanting to go home – where was he, and why was he _here_?

"Gokudera-san, you can't move around! You have spinal injuries, and the tendons in your neck are strained!" Whoever was behind the young man called out for someone else, and soon enough Gokudera felt three sets of hands on his body. He moaned as the pain flared up once again, two sets of hands rolling him back over while the third held his head, guiding it.

"Where am I...?" Green eyes struggled to look over at whoever was standing by his side, but without being able to move his head, he couldn't see anything.

"Namimori Hospital." The voice beside him was a soft, gentle one, but it did nothing to soothe Gokudera; where was Yamamoto, and why was he in a hospital? "You were in a car accident last night. Do you remember anything about it?"

Gokudera blinked as he tried to remember, but it was all one big blur. He could remember leaving work with Yamamoto by his side, arguing with him about driving. After that, it was just the sudden screeching of tyres and a deafening bang and crunch.

"...I don't know..." Gokudera sighed. "Where is Yamamoto...?"

"He's in the next area. He's still unconscious."

"Is he alright?"

There was silence for a few seconds before the voice said, "The x-rays and CT scans showed that he has a neck fracture and several broken ribs. We don't know if it will have a significant effect on him until he regains consciousness, so for now we've stabilised his neck and back."

Gokudera's mouth went dry at this, not knowing what to think; he didn't remember a car accident, aside from those confronting sounds, but if what was being said was true, and he had been arguing with Yamamoto to let him drive... Did that mean it was _his _fault they were here...?

The silver-haired male was beyond frustrated; he was stressed and confused, struggling to comprehend the things that were being said to him. He didn't know _why _they were here, why they had been involved in a supposed car accident, but what he _did _know was that, in this moment, every little thing he had ever done wrong to Yamamoto was playing through his mind, overwhelming him with the knowledge that he had _never _been able to truly love the taller male, and now their lives may never be the same – hell, Gokudera may not even get a chance to apologise or make things up to his boyfriend because he had _no fucking idea _on what to expect.

Gokudera sniffed as tears welled up in his eyes, unable to fight them back. He let them roll silently down his cheeks, staring up at the roof as he wished with all his being he could tell Yamamoto he _did _love him just one more time, even if they _both _knew Gokudera would never be able to love the younger as much as Yamamoto loved _him_.

_**~~XX~~**_

"Shoichi..."

The redhead glanced up from where he had been watching his hands fumble with one another. He blinked before he swallowed thickly, looking up at Tsuna. "Y-yes...?"

The brunet reached out, patting his friend's shoulder gently. "I think you should go back home, Shoichi; your anxiety is really getting the better of you today."

"That's why... I asked for a few days off..." Shoichi flinched as his stomach cramped, leaning over as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. "T-tsuna... I want to go home..."

The brunet nodded, standing up from the table the two had been sitting at. "I'll go talk to Hibari-san; it wasn't fair of him to call you and Spanner in. I'm sure Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto will be here soon."

Shoichi nodded, getting to his feet as well. He stumbled as he closed the distance between them, holding his stomach tightly. He trembled as he followed his friend out of the activity room and down towards where the staff offices were.

"Would you rather go sit in Spanner's office with him while I talk to Hibari-san?" Tsuna offered. "I'm sure you'd feel more comfortable with him than Hibari-san when you're feeling so bad."

"I'm sorry, Tsuna..." the redhead apologised, wincing at the pain in his stomach. "I don't want to let you guys down, but... I won't be any good today... My anxiety is too bad and I need to go home..."

"It's okay, Shoichi; it's not your fault. If you need to go home, you need to go home."

Shoichi nodded, just glad when they eventually stopped outside of Spanner's office. "Thank you, Tsuna... I'll wait here for you..."

Tsuna nodded, watching the smaller male enter the office. He then continued on towards Hibari's, hoping the other would be understanding; while he _could _be considerate of the patients' needs at times, the same couldn't be said for the staff.

"Hibari-san?" Tsuna knocked on the office door politely before he opened it, poking his head into the room. The skylark was sitting at the desk, holding bird seed up to the fluffy yellow creature sitting on top of his head. "Hibari-san, can I talk to you about something...?"

Hibari nodded, letting his pet finish the seed before he extended a finger to it, signalling it to jump on. He brought it down to sit on the desk, instead taking a handful of seed as he held it out to the tiny bird, waiting for Tsuna to start speaking.

"U-umm... It's just..." Tsuna sighed, knowing he had to help his friend, no matter how scary Hibari could be at times. "...Shoichi really needs to go home, Hibari-san."

"No." Hibari's dark eyes never once drifted away from his bird, reaching out with his free hand to run a finger down its back. "He needs to stay."

"He's really anxious today," the younger male tried to explain. "He can't stop shaking and his stomach is really hurting him. He's even quieter than usual, and he really won't be able to do his job today. He needs to go home and rest."

"A bit of anxiety is _nothing _compared to what the others are going through, and without your herbivorous friends here, we will never be able to handle them all in one day."

"Hibari-san... Shoichi is so anxious, he's struggling to relax even with Spanner by his side... How is he ever going to help the patients if he's struggling to help himself?"

"It's not _my _fault those herbivores never showed up; if they were here, the anxious herbivore would never have been called in."

"Hibari-san..." Tsuna sighed, but before he could rebut this argument, the older male's phone started ringing. He stayed quiet as the other answered it, listening to what was being said.

"Yes... Yes, they do. ...No, they should have been here before eight... Yes... I see. I understand."

Hibari was quick to end the call before he looked up at his employee, his expression unreadable. Tsuna gulped under his penetrating gaze, taking no notice of the bird that was chirping its owner's name.

"Those two herbivores are in hospital," Hibari finally explained. "They were in a car accident last night."

Tsuna's eyes widened as the words sunk in, and he couldn't stop tears of worry from welling up in his eyes. He reached up, wiping at them hastily, not knowing what to do.

Hibari waved a hand dismissively before he said, "If you want to go and see them, do so. Tell the anxious herbivore and his boyfriend they may also go home."

Tsuna didn't hesitate to leave the office; he ran back to Spanner's and, after explaining the situation, was quick to leave the facility altogether.

_**~~XX~~**_

When Tsuna finally arrived the hospital and was led to Gokudera's bed, he almost couldn't go in any further when he caught sight of his best friend; Gokudera's face was covered in what looked to be deep gashes stitched together, some smaller cuts and a bruise across his forehead. His lower body was covered by the thin hospital blanket, but his neck was visible and it, too, had stitches in it. What horrified the brunet the most was the neck-brace that was forcing Gokudera to remain still and in a _very _uncomfortable position.

"Gokudera-kun...?" Tsuna whimpered, feeling tears of stress slip down his cheeks. He raised a hand to his mouth as he stepped forward, moving to stand by the taller male's side. "Gokudera-kun..."

Gokudera's green eyes blinked open at the younger's voice, those orbs full of pain. He raised a shaking arm, the IV, catheter port and needle that had been stuck into it making the brunet feel sick. "T-tenth..."

"I'm here, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna promised. "What happened?"

"Don't remember..." the silver-haired male whispered. "I just... don't remember... It hurts, Tenth... It really hurts... My head hurts..."

"I know..." The younger male grabbed his friend's hand, squeezing it tight. "I can't imagine it'd tickle..."

Gokudera smiled slowly, knowing the other was trying to crack a joke in an effort to lighten the mood. "Funny, Tenth... Really was..."

"Where is Yamamoto?"

"Next door... They said... he's not conscious yet... He has a neck fracture... Don't know... the effect it'll have..."

Tsuna nodded, turning around to grab the chair and pull it closer to the bed. He sat down, never once letting go of the shaking hand in his. "Would you like for me to call Bianchi?"

Instinctively, Gokudera tried to shake his head, only to become frustrated at the lack of movement. "No, Tenth... Not yet... Can you just... stay with me, please...? I don't... want to be alone..."

"I'm not going anywhere, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna felt ill at the dried blood that matted the usually-shiny silver locks, noticing the specks of blood that still clung to his skin; one of the nurses must have cleaned most of it up in order to get the stitches done without incident.

"Tenth... Yamamoto... H-he..." Gokudera shuddered at the stress he was under. "...I treated him so badly... before this... I remember that... If something happens... what if he dies, thinking... I hate him...?"

"Gokudera-kun..." None of the training he had ever gone through could have prepared Tsuna for this moment; it was a complete shock to his system, and every little thing he had ever known about psychology had flown out of his head, leaving him feeling as helpless as Gokudera must be. "...Gokudera-kun... I'm so sorry..."

"I don't... want him to die, Tenth..." Gokudera pleaded. He shifted slightly in the bed, the blankets slipping down his thin frame, revealing an arm wrapped in plaster, clearly broken. "Please, don't let him die..."

Tsuna didn't want to reply to this; he'd never forgive himself if he reassured Gokudera that wouldn't happen, and yet it did... Instead, he just squeezed his friend's hand, wishing he knew what to do.

The brunet couldn't blame the usually-strong male for being so stressed; he could only imagine how frightening it must be to have been involved in a car accident.

_**~~XX~~**_

Tsuna parked his car in the driveway of Gokudera and Yamamoto's home. He had left once the silver-haired male had fallen back asleep, knowing he had to take their pets before anything happened to them without someone there to look after them.

Moving to the back seat, Tsuna grabbed the pet carrier he had bought on his way out and took it towards the house, not wanting to risk Uri panicking in the car and causing trouble. He took the spare key from beneath the door mat, slipping it into the lock. The door opened without problem, leaving Tsuna to enter the house.

"Jiro!" The brunet whistled as he called for the dog, clapping his hands together for extra measure. "Jiro, c'mon, boy!"

Tsuna frowned as he realised the dog wasn't coming. He stepped further into the house, dropping the pet carrier by the front door. "Jiro?"

Upon further investigation, the therapist found Uri curled up on his owner's bed, seemingly content with where he was. Tsuna grabbed him and took him back to the pet carrier, wincing at the sharp teeth and claws that dug into his hands. He was quick to lock the animal in the cage, knowing he still had two more animals to rescue.

"Jiro?" The living room was occupied by the small bird chirping away in its cage. It was clear how much Yamamoto loved his pets as the swallow had a cage bigger than most birds twice its size would have, filled with toys, bird seed and water. Moving over to take said cage from the hook on the curtain rod, Tsuna carried it back to the front door as well, knowing it would be safe with Uri in his own cage.

Jiro was harder to find, but once Tsuna entered the office at the back of the house, he found the dog curled up beneath the desk, whining away as he lay still. Tsuna sighed, approaching the animal slowly as he leant down, keeping his hands to himself.

"You must really miss him." Tsuna was answered by another whine, almost as if the dog knew what had been said. "I'm sure you would; he's given you so much love over the years."

The brunet was gentle as he tugged the dog out from under the desk, the creature whining again pitifully as he tried to glue himself to that spot on the floor. He was powerless when the human picked him up from the middle, and he could only lie limp as he was carried out of the office.

"C'mon, Jiro... Let me just go and grab all of your supplies, and then we can go." As expected, Jiro just lay flat on the floor once he was put back down by the front door, whining again as Tsuna left him.

The brunet loaded the animal food and pet toys into the trunk of the car before he came back for the animals. He put the pet carrier in the front seat, wrapping the seatbelt around it, before he put the bird cage into the back. It was too big to sit on the seat so, moving the front passenger seat forward, he rested it on the floor, hoping it would be secure there.

Jiro was placid as a leash was clipped onto his collar and led out towards the car. He jumped in hesitantly, sitting on the back seat, continuing to whine as his leash was tied to the hand-grip just above the door.

With the animals safe, Tsuna made his way over to Shoichi and Spanner's home, knowing the two would be able to take care of Uri better than _he _could; the brunet liked cats, but when they started to scratch and bite at him, he drew the line there; he would honestly be too scared to go near Uri if he took the cat back to his own home.


	15. Chapter 15

"Trash."

Ryohei stopped and turned around, having been on a patrol of the hospital. He looked at Xanxus, a frown on his face; he had heard the news about the car accident from Tsuna, and he was having trouble dealing with it; he adored his friends, and the thought that something had happened to them...

"Tell the bitch to stop fucking crying; it's all I can hear." Xanxus' red eyes glared hatefully at the younger male, his fingers twitching in anger. "He's worse than the prince trash."

Ryohei had also heard about Xanxus' and Squalo's most recent fight. He knew that, ever since their argument, the long-haired male had been locking himself away in his room, pushing everyone away and doing nothing but cry.

"I can ask him to stop crying, but I can't make him," the grey-haired male pointed out. "I think he's scheduled in for Hibari anyway; you might get some peace during that."

"That skylark trash shouldn't even _be _a fucking therapist." The older male snorted. "All he does is treat us all like shit, and if he _does_ come to talk to us, it's like he doesn't care. That's the same with _all _of them – none of them care; they just want to pretend so that they're paid. Once I get my organisation in order, I'll wipe the lot of them out."

Ryohei had always been curious at Xanxus' 'organisation'; he knew it was a delusion, the dark-haired man believing himself to be a mafia boss, but Xanxus really didn't say much about his 'plans', except that he was recruiting other patients to be part of it. So far, he had convinced – or so he believed, as they were just playing along – Squalo and Lussuria, giving second-in-command to Squalo and third to Lussuria. Leviathan had jumped at the offer to be part of the group, and Belphegor – delusional himself – had agreed at a young age, believing it to be real when he heard Mammon was also 'part' of it.

There had been other patients given an invitation to join, but most of them declined – hell, Xanxus had gone as far as labelling the staff as another mafia group, and often challenged Tsuna to see who was the better leader. Most of the staff played along with it, knowing it was too much of a hassle to explain to a man adamant in believing in his delusions that it wasn't real.

"I promise that they _do _care; they all care to the extreme," Ryohei pointed out. "All they want to do is help."

"The skylark trash just makes it worse; he's such a fucking asshole. He'll be next on my list after that Sawada trash."

"Xanxus... You should go back to your room and I'll see what I can do with Squalo."

Xanxus just nodded, turning back around to head the way he had come. Ryohei followed behind, intending on trying to calm Squalo.

Stepping into the Varia Wing, Ryohei couldn't blame Xanxus for getting agitated and finding someone – he was just relieved the older male hadn't taken matters into his own hands and done something to the silver-haired man.

"Squalo?" Ryohei knocked on the patient's door as he watched Xanxus step back into his own room. He wasn't deterred by the loud shout the older male gave him, instead turning the door handle. He stepped into the room, finding the long-haired man curled up in his bed, his face red and stained with tears. "Squalo, do you need me to find someone for you?"

Squalo shook his head, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Fuck off!"

Ryohei shook his head. "You know I have to check up on you guys. I can get Hibari for you if you –"

"- I am _not _talking to that stuck-up bastard!" Squalo snapped. "I fucking hate him! I hate _everyone _here!"

"I know that's not true," the grey-haired male replied. "You have friends here."

"I _thought _I had friends..." Dark eyes lifted, sending a loathing glare into Ryohei's. "I _thought _I had them, but... I guess not..."

"Lussuria and Dino love you," the security guard pointed out. "They're very worried about you. Xanxus cares about you, and you are Yamamoto's favourite patient."

"Lussuria and Dino are just pretending, Xanxus _never _loved me, and if that was true about the Takeshi brat, he'd be here with me right now. Where the fuck is he, huh? Probably out screwing around with his stupid boyfriend."

"Yamamoto's in hospital..." The younger explained quietly. "So is Gokudera..."

Squalo flinched, but otherwise said nothing. He just looked away to the window, a longing gaze crossing his face. "...Just leave me alone... I've already lost everyone I'll open up to..."

Ryohei knew he wouldn't be much help so, leaving the room, he went in search of Hibari, hoping the skylark would have some time to talk to the patient. He knew it wasn't fair to leave Squalo hurting like this, but there was only so much that could be done when Hibari was the only trained therapist in the entire facility at the current moment.

_**~~XX~~**_

"I think you should apologise to Squalo, hon~" Lussuria was sitting on the bed beside his friend, wishing he could talk some sense into Xanxus; ever since he had fought with Squalo, the long-haired man's depression was _truly _obvious, and it would only be a matter of time before he attempted suicide again.

"I did nothing wrong." Xanxus was as stubborn as ever, laying back on his bed as he looked up at the roof in boredom. "I _didn't _do anything wrong, trash. It's all that stupid _shark's _fault."

"Honey, you've got to understand that with Squalo, he's very dependent on you. He loves you more than anything, and you're the only one he _truly _trusts. You're his boyfriend, and that means the world to him. He only wanted to tell you that he loved you because he _does_, Xanxus... He just wanted to hear those words back for once..."

"I _don't _love him." Xanxus snorted. "Why would I _ever _love something like _him_?"

"Because he's your _boyfriend_?" Lussuria sighed. "Xanxus... You really need to go apologise to him before he does something stupid again..."

"I don't care if he does. Let him." Xanxus showed no hint of emotion at the idea of Squalo killing himself. "It'll give me some peace at night instead of listening to his stupid fucking whining."

Lussuria knew it was hard trying to talk sense into Xanxus – the man was just too stubborn – but if he wouldn't even listen to reason when it came to _Squalo_... Well, there was nothing he could do to help until the man calmed down.

"It's lunchtime, Xanxus; would you care to join me in a meal?"

Xanxus shook his head, rolling onto his side to have a sleep. "Not at _all_, trash."

Silently, Lussuria stood up and left the room. He closed the door behind him, turning around to smile at Hibari who was just stepping into Squalo's room. Hibari nodded at him before he disappeared into the room, leaving the older male to his own devices.

Checking his watch, Lussuria noticed it was half-past one. A week had passed since the two Vongola staff had been hospitalised, and Hibari seemed ran off his feet trying to handle everything by himself; with Shoichi and Spanner out of action, and Tsuna struggling to come to terms with his best friends' situations, the skylark was left to do everything; Lussuria honestly wasn't even sure if Hibari was taking any of his breaks.

"I should bring some food to his office later..." Lussuria nodded to himself, knowing that Hibari might not be eating properly in his busy schedule. "He won't function well if he's hungry."

Keeping in mind to ask the cafeteria staff for extras, Lussuria continued heading down the hallway towards the activity room. He hummed to himself, his usual smile on his face, the thought of food very appealing; trying to sort Xanxus out when he was in a stubborn mood took a lot out of _everyone_.

"Oh?" Lussuria lifted his gaze from the floor as he took notice of a soft pattering noise, some clicks accompanied with it. It seemed to get louder with each step he took, until he finally rounded the corner and saw what it was; Tsuna was walking towards him, a small dog by his side. It was fluffy, a light brown colour with a white front. It stuck close to the brunet's side, almost as if it were afraid of him leaving it. "Tsuna, dear, what's this? Did you get a puppy?"

Tsuna smiled as he shook his head, closing the distance between them. "This is Jiro. He's Yamamoto's dog, but... I've been looking after him. He really misses his owner, and I didn't want to leave him, so I thought it couldn't hurt to bring him along for the day."

"Does Kyouya know?"

The younger male nodded. "Yeah; he's fine with it."

Lussuria knelt down, putting a hand out to invite the dog closer. "He's a cutie~"

Jiro hesitantly stepped forward, sniffing at the hand that was extended towards him. He licked it after a few seconds, his tail starting to wag slightly. His ears were folded downwards, and Lussuria could see just how depressed the dog was; if he were as bouncy as his owner, he should have been over the moon to meet someone new, but instead his tail was quick to still and instead droop.

"Is it really a good idea to bring him?" Lussuria questioned. "I mean... Bel-chan or someone..."

"I understand your concerns, but I'd never bring one of my best friend's beloved pets somewhere if I thought it would be in danger." Tsuna smiled as he reached down, patting the dog's head. "He's friendly, isn't he?"

"Just like Takeshi~ I bet he's thrilled knowing his dog is in capable hands~"

Tsuna frowned at these words, running fingers through brunet locks. "...Yamamoto still hasn't woken up yet... We don't know how long it'll take, and... Gokudera is in no way fit to leave, either... He wants to go home, but he also doesn't want to leave Yamamoto... He's really conflicted about this."

"I can imagine." Lussuria sighed. "Tsuna, does this mean you're back to work with us again?"

"Of course; I wouldn't leave you guys just because of this."

Lussuria clapped his hands together as he wriggled his rear in excitement. "This is great~! Do you think the staff will give me extra food so that I can give it to Kyouya? I don't think he's been taking breaks, and he might be hungry~"

"I'll talk to them, Lussuria." Tsuna was kind as he reached out, patting the taller male's shoulder. "I'm going to go and see Belphegor now. Find me if you need anything."

"Thank you, sweetie~" Leaning down, the man patted the dog's head, as loving as always. "Goodbye, cutie~"

Tsuna smiled as he started walking, the dog following by his side obediently; he couldn't help but admire the fact that Yamamoto had done a great job in training his pet.

It didn't take long for the psychologist to arrive at Belphegor's room and, once he had unlocked the door and stepped in, he quickly shut it in order to try and drown out the man's loud screaming.

"Belphegor." Tsuna approached slowly, trying not to startle the older male. He stood by the bed, not touching the blond but speaking in a soft, gentle tone. "Belphegor, what's wrong? Why are you screaming like this? Belphegor."

Bel was thrashing in his restraints, screaming so loudly, he kept stopping in order to cough. He would snarl every now and then at something known only to him, but he always continued to scream.

"Belphegor." Tsuna reached out, holding his hand out in view of the older male. "Belphegor, it's alright."

Jiro was whining at the blond's sounds, dropping to the ground again. It was hurting his sensitive ears, and he couldn't help but start to howl, far too docile to even _think _of attacking the source of his discomfort.

"Jiro..." Tsuna winced as he raised his hands to his ears, not liking this situation; it was too loud for him, and he wanted them _both _to quieten down. "Jiro, no."

Jiro didn't seem to hear the command, his howling getting louder. However, Belphegor was brought back to reality, confused by the sounds that were drowning out his own. He frowned, blinking at Tsuna and the dog in confusion.

"Tuna-Fish...?" Bel moaned before he coughed again, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. "Tuna-Fish, please..."

"What is it, Belphegor?" Tsuna was patient, just glad that at least now Jiro had stopped howling as well.

"...Please..." Bel growled again before his screams continued, louder this time. As if it were some sort of duet, Jiro begun to howl once more.

"Bel, what's wrong?"

Tsuna looked over his shoulder at Mammon's voice, finding the woman closing the door behind her. He was relieved about her presence, knowing she was the main force in calming the usually-distressed man.

"Viper, please do something to at least get him to stop screaming." Tsuna stepped back, letting the woman work her magic.

"It's _Mammon_." Mammon approached the bed, side-stepping around the dog in order to lean over the bed. She took Belphegor's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. "I'd better get paid for this, Tsunayoshi."

Bel took no notice of the hand on his, his thrashing becoming wild as if he were trying to get away from something only he could see. His head turned side-to-side as he struggled, stopping only to draw in a sharp breath as he finally recognised the far-away voice of his best friend – hell, his _only _friend.

"M-mammy..." Belphegor was tired, his fit having worn him out. "Mammy... He's back..."

"Who is?" The indigo-haired woman sat on the bed side the younger male, reaching out to pat a soft cheek.

"...J-jill..." Belphegor let a frightened whimper escape his lips, shuddering as if someone had touched him. "Jill, he... H-he's in the corner... With _them_..."

Both Mammon and Tsuna checked every corner of the room but, as expected, there was no one else in here.

"No, he's not," Mammon soothed. "I promise."

"Yes, he _is_!" Bel argued. "He's standing there... They're all whispering about me... They're gonna... They're gonna... r-rape me... That's what they're saying, Mammy! Jill wants to rape me again! Make him go away!"

Mammon looked up at Tsuna, knowing there really wasn't much she could say to help. "...Tsunayoshi..."

"Belphegor..." Tsuna leant down, pulling his keys from his pocket once again. "Belphegor, what if I let you out of your room? Will that help?"

Bel whimpered fearfully again, his body starting to tremble. He didn't reply to this; he just let tears slide down his cheeks, probably fearing the touch of his brother once again; while the therapists knew that Belphegor held a deep hatred towards Rasiel, it wasn't the older twin he feared – it was the things Rasiel could _do _to him that terrified him.

"Let's get you out of here, Belphegor." Tsuna undid the restraints, trying his hardest not to scare the older male more than he already was. "That might make you feel a bit better."

Belphegor started to sob once the restraints were taken away but, once Mammon helped him sit up in the bed, he clung to her, shaking worse than he had in a while. "M-mammy... H-he's gonna...!"

Mammon wrapped her arms around her friend's side, helping him out of the bed slowly. She was silent as she tugged him towards the door, but the closer they got to it, the more he hesitated until he eventually refused to move at all, rooted to that spot in horror.

"What's wrong?" Mammon was patient, knowing to let him take his time.

"H-he's there..." Bel pointed a trembling finger to his left, starting to shuffle to his side, pushing into Mammon. "Make him go away..."

Mammon changed sides, putting herself in between Belphegor and 'Rasiel'. "Is that better, Bel?"

Bel nodded, walking with a frightened gait, until they were out of his room. His breathing was a tad laboured, his fingers curled tightly into the black shirt his friend wore; to Tsuna, he reminded the younger greatly of a child clinging to its mother after a nightmare – but in all honesty, what Belphegor lived _was _a nightmare he would _never _comprehend.

"Viper, are you right to sit with him until he calms down?" Tsuna didn't mind letting Belphegor tag along with him, but he was worried about Jiro if he did such a thing; Bel was unstable, and he had killed several animals he had managed to get his hands on in his time here – a staff member's dog would probably be no different.

"I can't; I have a session with Kyouya next." Mammon patted the blond's shoulder, feeling Bel cling tighter to her at the words. "Fran is free; Mukuro is still in the infirmary so he hasn't left his room all day."

"Would you like to be with Fran, Belphegor?" Tsuna stepped closer to his patients, the dog right behind him. He smiled when the older male nodded, walking over to the teal-haired boy's bedroom. "I'll go get him for you."

Bel watched as his therapist stepped into the boy's room, listening as Fran was coaxed out from under his bed. Fran seemed wary as he followed Tsuna out of the doorway, but he visibly relaxed at the sight of Bel, heading straight towards the man.

"Bel-senpai..." Tiny arms wrapped around the blond's middle as Fran buried his face in against his stomach. "Bel-senpai... I thought I was going to be alone all day again..."

The older male was silent as he patted teal hair, his obscured eyes finally catching sight of the dog that was coming closer to him. He snarled, tense as he waited for it to get closer, before he kicked out at it, hitting it in the face as hard as he could.

"Belphegor!" Tsuna shouted, the line having been crossed at what he had just witnessed; there was _no way _he was going to let his patient abuse an animal – much less _Yamamoto's _dog. "Belphegor, do you have _any _idea of the trouble you're in right now?!"

Fran pulled away at the shout, cowering. He reached out for the whimpering dog, its yelp having frightened him. "Jiro..."

Belphegor watched as Fran hugged the dog tightly, a sneer crossing his face. "It's a _dog_."

"It's still a living creature!" Tsuna argued. "Do you _want _me to put you straight back in your room?! Because I _will, _Belphegor! I'll keep you sedated, deny you your walks around the ground, and even keep you hungry tonight! Don't you _ever _kick that dog again!"

Belphegor just blinked, surprised by Tsuna's sudden aggressive side; the brunet was usually so calm and easy-going, it shocked him for the other to take a stand against him. "..."

"I _swear, _Belphegor; I will _not _tolerate you kicking Yamamoto's dog! If you put _one _toe out of line again today, I will _never _let you back out of your room except for your walks!"

Belphegor was silent as he looked down at his feet, unused to being challenged like this – especially by the _staff_. He reached down, pulling Fran away from the dog and out of the corridor, his already-fragile mind struggling to deal with what had just happened.

"Bel-senpai?" Fran, also, was shaken from the shouting, but he still followed Bel away from the others, wondering where they were going.

"..." Belphegor didn't reply, unable to find the strength to.

Back in the corridor, Mammon just stared incredulously at her therapist. "Hayato's the only staff member who'll have a go at him; he thinks he can walk over the rest of you."

"Yeah, he certainly does..." Tsuna sighed as he got down on his knees, checking Jiro's face for any damage. He was relieved to find that the dog looked relatively healthy, instead turning his attention back to Mammon. "I didn't expect him to give up so easily; he's so aggressive towards the other patients."

"I think you just surprised him; it's not like him to be silent and stare at the ground like that."

"I can't believe he kicked Yamamoto's dog..." Tsuna frowned as he regarded the animal. "I mean..."

"He doesn't know," Mammon tried to soothe. "No one's told him yet."

Tsuna nodded, knowing it was true; Belphegor was probably wondering why he had reacted so badly.

Leaning down, the brunet gave the dog a quick pat before he continued on his way, wishing he could be of more help to everyone.


End file.
